A Reflection of Time
by Discordia's Children
Summary: This is the second book in the series.  The first is Wizard'sHeart  It was co-wrote, everything in normal font is my writing, bold is Erin. It has almost all original characters.  some of the Hogwarts teachers are the same


Prolog

All three hands pointed straight up. Delicate lettering was etched into each of the surfaces of the slender, shapely iron arms: hour, day, year. With a single finger the old man could turn the thin arms and set the sands inside the clock spinning and churning. He could go back and visit one last time his favorite memories. The birth of his children, his first kiss, the night his beloved wife died. Not all the memories he wanted to visit were good ones, some had caused him great pain. But they were his and the chance to see them before…

A heavy knock at the door roused the old clockmaker out of his thoughts. He knew already who it was. They had come to take his greatest creation. The old man smiled to himself, there was time enough to turn the hands and put off this moment for a few more days if he wished. All he would have to do is reach out a finger.

The knock came again, harder and more forceful. It was time, he knew it. Sneaking around in the past wasn't something he should waste his few remaining days on. And besides, he could interact with someone or something and cause his present to change. No, he knew it was time to give up the clock. He gave a wave to the two birds that sat on the window seal, destined for two different locations. A flap of wings stirred the cold air that stole into the room as the old man carefully lowered the window pane to its proper resting place.

With a weighty sigh the old man shuffled over and opened the door to let the man in the heavy dark overcoat, cane and top hat in. The newcomer's eyes glanced rapidly around the room, settling on the clock with its beautiful black iron hands, then back to the old man.

"It is snowing outside. You sure took your time. Gone visiting bygone days were ya?" The well dressed man asked the old man with a slight sneer.

"Not anymore. No. Not anymore." Was the only reply.

The overcoat dripped across the floor as the wealthy man walked over and inspected the clock up close. After a minute he straitened his back and his eyes glared at the old clockmaker. "Where are the keys? There is a place for two. Where are they?"

With pursed lips and only a hint of trepidation, the old man narrowed his eyes at the new man. "I have sent them off already by owl to Hogwarts. That is where they belong. I couldn't trust such a devastatingly dangerous device such as this to wander around in a coach during a storm. Something might happen and the clock would fall into, well, shall we say less desirable hands."

The wealthy man looked back down at the clock, its hands still, the sand within silent. "You shouldn't have done that." Was all he said.

A horse nickered and pawed at the ground outside, impatient to be done with the stormy night.

The clockmaker knew his time was at an end when the first knock at the door had echoed through the room. So he just shrugged. He had been to the past with the first key, the one with the little blue hour glass embedded in the Hogwarts symbol. And he had seen his alternate past with the key emblazoned with the red hourglass at the heart of the Hogwarts crest. He could have changed either. But what would be the point? He had lived a good life. He had loved a woman that brought him joy and had children who brought with him the double edged sword of love and terror as they grew up in dangerous times. He could have not answered the door and instead left long before the dark man with the top hat came in. But again what was the use? He was an old man, and he was ready for the eternal sleep.

He watched with detached calm as the man hooked his cane on table and reached in his coat. The cane leaned by itself, the snake head resting as if it was staring at the clock in a trance, fascinated by the face it gazed at, the hands that could dance in the winds of time.

A wand was pointed directly at the old man's heart. "Avada Kedavra!" The well dressed man hissed.

_Time enough indeed_, were the old man's last thoughts, _time enough indeed._

Chapter 1

Going Gnome

Soft footsteps ran down the hallway. Richard knew immediately something was wrong as he quietly slipped out of his covers and tiptoed to the door. Carefully he turned the knob and cracked the door open, straining to hear down the hallway and into the rooms beyond. Hushed whispers and frantic voices alternately punctuated the air, but he couldn't make out any words. Fear crept into his chest. He had to know.

With trepidation Richie pushed the bedroom door open far enough to creep into the hallway, careful to not make any noises. As he got closer to the living room he could hear someone crying. It sounded like Auntie Addison. Her sobs were muffled like she was being smothered. Richie realized he could hear Auntie Harm crying as well. Then one of the men spoke. It was Uncle Billy.

"I know it isn't any comfort Addy, but they went quickly. They had just arrived at the scene when the explosion went off. They probably didn't have time to know it was happening before they…" he trailed off, the rest of the words getting caught in his throat.

Auntie Addy's sobs became a wail again as Richard peered around the corner into the room. Addy was sitting on the main couch with Harmony next to her and her arms wrapped around her, head buried in her shoulder. Billy was sitting on her other side with one had rubbing her back, the other one holding one of her hands. Richie could see that Addy had a death grip on it. Uncle Jazz was crouched in front of her, one hand on her knee, the other on Harmony's. Both men had tears streaking down their cheeks.

"Where's my mom and dad?" Richard said out loud, unable to stop himself. Everyone looked up at him and instantly he knew.

They were dead.

His breath caught in his throat and abruptly he sat up, gasping for air. He looked around, but the bed curtains were pulled tight around his bed. He was not at home after all, he was in his bed at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the same bed his father had used when he was there so many years ago.

Richie let out his breath and sagged back into the covers, hoping all his new roommates didn't hear him. Well, not all of them were new. Cadence Whitehorse, Uncle Jazz and Auntie Harmony's oldest twin boy, was also in the same room. But the rest of the boys were all new to him and he didn't want them thinking he was some kind of a crybaby that had nightmares every night.

He turned over and pulled the covers back over his head. He tried to shake the feeling of loss from his heart as he reminded himself that nothing had happened to his parents after all. But the overwhelming sense of dread wouldn't leave and he fought off tears.

There was a soft buzzing on his wrist. He looked down at the communications bracelet that everyone in the family had. It scrolled his mother's messy writing. _Are you okay honey?_

He hated to admit it but seeing her words made him feel a whole lot better. Richie touched the bracelet and sent back a message. _I'm fine, just had a nightmare. I'm guessing Cad told you_.

_Good guess sweetheart. Don't be mad at him, he's just trying to watch your back for you. That's what family does. _

_I know. Really, I'm fine. Sorry you got woken up mom. _

_Don't worry about it honey. We barely got to bed anyway. Your Uncle Jazz thought it would be funny to bring home some garden gnomes and put them in your Uncle Billy's garden, but your sister thought they were better served in the laundry room. _

_Sounds about right._ Richie chuckled to himself. His sister Ember was only six years old but between her and Gypsy, Auntie Addy and Uncle Billy's six year old daughter and constant shadow of Ember, those two really knew how to stir things up. Leave it to them to take Uncle Jazz's bad idea and make it worse.

_Get some sleep sweetie and have a great morning. But if you need us, don't hesitate to buzz us. We are always here for you not matter what the time or reason. Love you._

_ Love you too mom. Goodnight._

His bracelet buzzed once more, and this time he recognized his father's somewhat neater jagged handwriting. _Goodnight son. Love you._

He couldn't help but smile. _Goodnight to you too dad. Love you._

Richard let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, pushing away the last of the nightmare and instead imagined what the evening had been like at home trying to chase down marauding gnomes. He could just see Callen, who was Auntie Addy and Uncle Billy's eight year old son, holding their two year old baby girl Serenity while Auntie Harmony and Uncle Jazz's younger twins who were also six, Jubilee and Aria, bounced up and down on the furniture and egged the gnomes on. He wondered if his mother, Auntie Addy and Auntie Harmony helped round the wayward criminals up or if they left that to Uncle Jazz, Uncle Billy and his dad.

Without realizing it, Richard slipped off to sleep and dreamed of gnomes, home and the mysterious key that he still had hidden in his footlocker, safely tucked away.

The sun streaked rays of golden light across the enchanted ceiling in the main room at Hogwarts. It almost always showed what the outside was doing; only changing for special occasions. Today the skies were mostly clear and the sunshine was doing its best to dispel the rest of the errant vapors.

Richard felt better since waking up. His nightmare thankfully didn't come back and the rest of his dreams had been mostly good ones. He sat down at the Gryffindor table and started loading his plate with French toast and bacon, his favorite breakfast. He felt someone sit down next to him and start dishing a plate. He had thought about what he wanted to say to Cadence about last night, but wasn't sure how to begin. He glanced over and stopped for a second. Sitting next to him wasn't the oldest twin after all. Wearing dress robes and a hat that didn't quite hide all of her flaming red hair sat his sister Ember. And like normal sitting on her other side was Gypsy who was also grabbing some food. Gypsy's hair was purple underneath the matching cap to Ember's. Richard sighed and finished pouring the syrup.

"Garden gnomes eh?" He said nonchalantly. He could tell his sister was smiling while trying to be incognito.

"Uncle Jazz brought them home and wanted to leave them outside. But a storm was trying to blow through and I didn't want them to get cold. The dryer was nice and warm though."

"Auntie Harm is going to need a new dress cape though." Gypsy added, scooping up a large amount of marmalade onto a biscuit.

"And underwear." Ember agreed. "Where's the doughnuts?" She asked looking around the table.

Richard shrugged and started eating, idly wondering how the two managed to make it to the school.

After finding what she was looking for, Ember sat down on Richie's bag to make herself look taller and glanced at him. "So, any news on the key?"

"Yeah, any news?" Gypsy parroted. "Or did you forget already?"

He glared sideways at the little girls. "I told you the hundred times before when you asked. I haven't found the door the key opens yet. Honestly, we have the bracelets, I'd tell you if I found anything out."

"Well we just thought we'd better drop in and check on you, make sure you are really working on this and not just prowling for girls Richie." Ember stated between mouthfuls of maple doughnut.

"Yeah, we wouldn't want you to forget about the job." Gypsy nodded as she looked around and grabbed a hardboiled egg.

"What are you two, the Hogwarts mob? I feel like I'm getting a shakedown. If I haven't found it in a month, what are you gonna do? Break my legs?" Richie snorted and bit into his bacon.

There was a thump at the table and Richie looked up to see Cadence glaring at the little girls. He had dropped his bag on the tabletop and had his finger pressed to his own bracelet. Richard knew he was already telling his mom about the girls.

"I wondered how long until Trouble and her minion would show up." The voice came from the other side as Jackie and Melody walked up to the far side and set their bags down next to Cadence's.

"Frankly I'm surprised it took this long." Melody agreed with Jackie and sat next to her at the table.

"Well we had to check on your progress." Ember said loud enough for the small group to hear. "You've been here a month and a half without anything. I don't understand what is taking so long."

"Yeah, what's taking so long." Gypsy said as she started stuffing different food items in her nicked school robes. She looked at Ember. "Better grab something for later. Something tells me we are going to be in a time out for a long time and will need something to eat."

"Good idea Gyp. I already brought some entertainment."

Richie knew he didn't want to know what that meant. He looked across the table at Jackie who was Addison and Billy's oldest daughter. She was only a few months older than him but tended to be so very bossy. He saw her take a bite of her pancake and look thoughtfully at the girls, but didn't ask either. The twins Cadence and Melody exchanged looks but didn't say a word.

A loud voice boomed out down the length of the tables. "What are you two doing here?" It was Auntie Harmony with Uncle Jazz on her heels. They were both teachers now at Hogwarts. "I bet Addy is worried sick about where you two have gotten off to."

"No she isn't," Ember said back, looking innocently up at the approaching adults. "We left the sleeping gnomes in our beds so she doesn't know we are gone yet."

"We thought this through. We didn't want anyone to worry." Gypsy added with a smile.

"I take it your mom and dad are off somewhere?" Harmony asked Ember.

"They had to go calm someone down who thought they were being attacked by werewolves. Apparently their muggle neighbors have loud aggressive dogs."

"Yeah, I heard them moving around awfully early this morning. So you decided it was time for a field trip." Harmony had come to a halt in front of the two girls and looked disapprovingly down at them.

"We were bored." Ember said, not turning to Harmony but still eating her doughnut.

"How could you have been bored yet? The day had barely started?" Harmony threw her hand up in the air. "And how did you get here anyway?"

"We hid in your purse Auntie." Gypsy told her as she smiled up at her.

Behind Harmony, Jazz snickered. "I told you that your purse had too much room in it."

"I have to have a large purse. Every time we do anything everyone expects me to have everything at hand. Instruments, furniture-"

"Stowaway children…" Jazz added with a huge grin.

"Something could have happened to you both. You are lucky you didn't get hurt."

"What, are you saying Hogwarts is dangerous? I thought this place was safe. Why would anyone send children to an unsafe school?" Ember said to no one in particular.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. Well come on girls, let's get going."

"You taking us home?" Gypsy asked.

"No, Jazz and I have classes to attend to shortly. You are going to go with Jazz until John can come and collect you two."

"Alright!" The girls yelled out. Gypsy jumped up and launched herself into Jazz's arms. Ember stuffed a few doughnuts in her pockets and reached out for him as well. He grabbed her and held a girl in each arm, giving them each several sloppy kisses on their cheeks and necks which made them giggle and scream.

"Why does this seem more like a reward then a punishment?" Jackie asked from across the table.

"Why should we be punished? We were with Auntie Harmony even if she didn't know it. And then we came and found you all. We were always with family." Ember looked back at Jackie. "And Cow let everyone know immediately. As mom says, no harm no foul."

"EMBER!" Harmony said exasperatedly, "How many times do we have to tell you? Stop calling them that."

"I don't see the problem. Cadence Onyx Whitehorse. Cow. Melody Obsidian Whitehorse. Mow." Ember said looking at the twins. "And they don't care."

"You are missing the point." Harmony said.

"Don't feel bad Auntie Harmony. Ember misses a lot of points." Richie said to her with a smile.

Harmony tried to frown back but the smile crept onto her face. She brushed her blond hair back out of her face and looked at all the kids. "Well, I hope you all are having a good week. Let me know if you need anything."

"Or if anything interesting happens." Jazz smiled. His darker skin set off the lightness of the two girls pale skin in a brilliant contrast. But there was a likeness of spirit between him and the girls. All three were constantly interested in finding 'interesting' things.

"Say hello to mom and dad for me Em." Richard said to his sister.

"Sure thing. And get to work on that thing you were doing. There's no time like the present." Ember said back to him, then eyed all the others.

"Yes Em Capone." Jackie said wirily. "And Gypsy, give mom a hug for me. I'd tell you to behave yourself but I don't think you know how to."

"I'll give her the hug. And I behave myself all over the place." Was Gypsy's answer which just made Jackie roll her eyes at the girls and go back to eating.

The girls waved as Jazz walked away carrying them with Harmony following closely behind.

Richard sighed. "Why do I get the feeling if I don't get any progress accomplished on finding the door the key opens that I'm going to find a horse head in my bed."

Defense Against the Dark Arts class usually had the students riveted, but Richard was off in thought as usual. The first year class was more of an introduction to the Dark Arts but having parents as Aurors, Richard was already familiar with the knowledge. He had a habit of looking up all the information on any case that his mom and dad came in contact with so he was bored in class as usual.

He looked over at Jackie who was once again lost in one of her drawings. Having heard the subject matter herself she took to sketching whatever caught her interest. The older twins Mow and Cow were attempting to show they were paying attention, but he could tell they were actually playing one of their twin games instead. Richie tried to make out which one and finally had guessed it was the dark arts version of Pictionary.

Without realizing it, his mind wandered to the key that was stowed away in his footlocker in the Gryffindor tower. It was a skeleton key with the Hogwarts crest on the top. Inside the delicate metal shield there was a tiny hourglass at its center. He wondered why that had been added to the crest. He had wandered all over the castle and even the outside buildings but hadn't seen anything like it anywhere else. They all had looked. Mow and Cow more likely out of morbid curiosity, Jackie because she just knew if anyone would find it that it would be her since she was oldest. Richie really didn't care who found it, just that it was found before Ember and Gypsy took a hit out him.

The loud bell sounded the end to the class and Richard gathered his books up and exited the classroom with the others. But before he could make it down the hallway very far he heard familiar voices and stopped to find them.

His dad was walking down the hallway with Ember on his shoulders and Gypsy in the crook of his right arm. They were showing him something which they found very interesting, talking animatedly about it. His father was listening to the girls and nodding, but his dark green eyes found Richard. John's smile grew more as he approached him.

"Well hello there! We thought we'd stop by and say hi before heading to Diagon Alley for some ice cream. How are you all doing? Classes going okay?"

Jackie who had also stopped and walked back was the first to respond. "Ice cream? Is that really appropriate? Those two ran away from home." Next to her Mow and Cow nodded in agreement.

"Well it isn't like they killed anyone. And it was a great excuse to come see the old place. Amazing how much has changed and how much hasn't. Besides my little firebug," he tickled Ember's knee, "and this little scamp," he poked Gypsy playfully in the belly so both girls were giggling, "didn't harm anything. I think Addy was actually grateful to have them away for a few hours."

"Mom still sent the warden after us though." Gypsy laughed, looking up at John. He grinned back at her and tickled her more.

"But it did give us a chance to take Bob out." Ember said.

"Bob?" Richard asked apprehensively.

"Yeah, Bob. Our new pet." Ember said and nodded to Gypsy who pulled out a little creature that looked like a strange potato that was sporting a pink tutu and little fake fairy wings.

Richie leaned in closer for a look. The little person crossed his arms and scowled at him in return. "Em, I think that may be a male gnome. Why is he in a dress?"

"That's what he liked of all the clothes we made him." Ember shrugged. "And we let him be. No sense forcing fashion on an unwilling subject."

"Yeah, we learned that from dressing up Bella the cat." Gypsy added and gave the little guy a bite of a cookie before stashing him away again.

"We are going to train him to be our minion." Ember said enthusiastically.

"And mom's okay with this?" Jackie asked looking at John.

"Well it gives them something to do instead of annoying her so she said it was fine. Unless she find him in her shower again, then he's gotta go."

"He was smelly and our bathroom was in use. I had to use mom's shower." Gypsy said defensively.

"Yeah, and it was her fault for trying to make us go to bed early. We tried to tell her but she wouldn't listen." Ember agreed.

"Thankfully the warden here brought him to us before mom killed Bob."

"Well you two were kind enough to settle down and play quietly in bed with Bob while all his kin were evicted so I didn't see the problem. I'm still surprised that Bob hasn't bitten either of you. The rest of those gnomes were awfully mean."

"We think Bob is a kinder, gentler gnome. He really seemed to appreciate the tiara we made him, but we are still having troubles making ruby slippers in his size."

"Anyway, we were about to be off and wanted to make sure everyone was doing okay and if anyone needed anything." John said and looked meaningfully at Richard.

"We are fine, classes are going well." Jackie said then added, "But next time when Ember and Gypsy decide to break out and come visit, can you make sure they bring me another drawing book? I'm almost finished with the ones I brought."

"Will do." Ember stated matter of factly. "Dad, we should pick them up while getting ice cream since it is hard to know when it will happen next."

"Um, okay…" John said he turned to the twins. "Mel, Cad? Need anything?"

"Nope, everything we forgot mom and dad brought us." Melody replied.

Richard's dad turned back to him. He hoped that he wouldn't say anything about last night.

"Son? Need anything? Your mom was worried that you didn't take enough sweaters that you might get cold."

"It's fine. Mom packed half of my trunk with long sleeve shirts, coats and pullovers. I haven't even gotten a chance to wear them all yet." Richie smiled.

"Okay, just thought I'd check. She also sent this for you." His dad said and then put his free arm around him and gave him a quick hug. Richie hugged him back for a moment.

"Give her this back." He said with a smile and a squeeze.

"Oh I will." John said with a devious smile. Richard saw Jackie roll her eyes. He almost felt like kicking her but he felt better seeing his dad, so he decided to let it slide. "By the way, you all find the picture your mom painted that is here at Hogwarts? It looks just like the one in the tree house. I'm told that because everyone interacts with it more that all of us are more animated than the one back home."

"I found it my first day here." Jackie stated. "It's still hanging in Gryffindor's common room. And you are right; all of you guys talk back and interact with everyone. They have even had to leave the painting and go find Auntie Dia who was taking a snooze in the painting with the dragon. Your likeness wasn't too happy about that. But Richard said to let her sleep."

"Oh, so you've talked to them? All of you?" John asked the others.

"Yes. It is neat talking to mom and dad when they were younger." Cadence said.

"Although dad really needs to stop telling the first years how to annoy Filch." Melody said with a hint of disapproval.

"Strange to think that guy is still here. He was ancient when I was here." John shook his head and looked back at Richie. "So have you talked to anyone in the picture?"

"No, we grew up with the painting at the tree house. I didn't feel it necessary to talk to it here."

"But if this one is more animated then what a great way to get to know your namesake Richard." His dad stared intently into his eyes. Richie didn't want to tell him he was purposely avoiding him.

"Maybe later dad."

After a moment John nodded and rubbed Richie's back a little before he resettled the girls in their respective places. "Well, in that case, I'd better get going before I'm asked to watch lunchtime detention. I have my own prisoners to take care of." He again tickled the two little girls making them squirm and giggle.

"Hey, you can't keep tickling us! That's a form of torture!" Ember laughed.

"Yeah, it's against the Godiva convention!" Gypsy agreed.

"Gyp, that the Geneva Convention unless you plan on riding around on a horse wearing nothing but you long hair." Jackie corrected her little sister.

"Oh, Jackie. Don't give them any ideas." John smiled.

"Yeah, that's Uncle Jazz's job." Ember said.

"Hey, Em! I bet we could get Uncle Jazz to ride a horse only wearing his hair. We should ask him tonight." Gypsy said, looking up at Ember.

"Oh, no you're not, scamp! I already have nightmares of his naked butt enough for a lifetime. Tell you what. If I buy you both something at the candy store, can we NOT suggest that to Jazz? Deal?" John asked the girls.

Both the girls nodded in agreement.

"There, crisis diverted." John smiled back at the other kids.

"You do realize you just taught the Trouble Twins the concept of blackmail, right?" Jackie asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Aww scamp and my little firebug wouldn't do that to me, right girls?"

"Right daddy."

"Right warden."

"It's not you that I'm worried about." Jackie said mostly to herself.

"Off we go. You kids all take care. And watch each other's backs." His dad said as he patted Richard on the back one more time then winked at him before walking off.

"Watch each other's backs? From who?" Richie asked under his breath.

"Our sisters would be my guess." Jackie said. "Come on, we'd better be going to History of Magic."

"Oh, yeah. We wouldn't want to be late for our morning naps." Richie sighed. He didn't want the others to know how good it felt to see his dad again. And that he almost feared talking to the image of his namesake.

** By the time Richie and Jackie made it to History of Magic class, he could tell that Jackie was quite miffed. She had made a habit of being the first to arrive since the first week of school. Normally he would find here sitting in the front row, book open, awaiting Professor Binns arrival through the black board. Richie quit trying to figure out how she was able to make it to the class so quickly. Once he tried to follow her, but lost her on the stairwell when it shifted. He had thought about asking her, but he didn't want to give her the impression that he was as interested in the class as she was.**

** The two of them quickly took their seats. Richie really hated that they sat in the first row. It made napping in class very difficult. Now that he thought of it, Jackie seemed to be the only one he had never seen nodding off. How she could stay so focused on the old ghost in front of the class, he couldn't figure out. They had been studying the ancient tombs of Egypt for the last month. One of the 3rd year students told Richie that it took more than three months just to get through the Giant Wars. Richie had thought it was a joke, he now knew it wasn't. Jackie's interest in the class simply confounded him.**

** The Professor entered the class room, and began his lecture for the day. Jackie hung on his every word. Richie found himself yawning only a few moments in. As Binns warbled on in monotone voice, Richie soon found himself nodding in and out of consciousness. It was a futile battle, and sleep had become the victor. There he was once again standing in the living room of his home asking where his parents were. Looking at his aunts and uncles, waiting for the answer he already knew. His parents were dead. **

** The vibrating buzz on his wrist shocked him into consciousness. He gasped but only loudly enough for Jackie to flash him a disapproving glare. He looked down at his wrist, and read the message as it scrolled across his bracelet.**

_**Hi Son, I hope you didn't mind my stopping by this morning. Your mother was concerned and wanted a first person report. Just between you and me, she once had some really horrific nightmares. She worries a bit too much at times. I love you. Dad.**_

**Quickly Richie responded. _It was great to see you! Tell Mom I am fine and I love her. Oh and thanks for not bringing up the nightmares. Jackie wouldn't let me hear the end of it. Love you too._**

**Jackie raised an eyebrow at him, her look still as disapproving as before. Richie mouthed the word dad to her. She smiled a little, and gave a nod of approval. It really burned him that even here at Hogwarts, she acted as if she were his boss.**

** Professor Binns finally finished his lecture and gave the day's assignment. Jackie's quill flew across her parchment. Richie watched her from the corner of his eye. He noticed that she didn't even use her book, or her notes. There were still ten minutes of class left when she rolled up her parchment and put it and her quill away. Richie himself hadn't yet finished half the work. At this point he expected her to pull out one of her sketch books and art quills. As she did in most classes if she finished early. Instead she picked up her History of Magic book, flipped ahead quite a few chapters, and began to read. **

** The bell rang loudly; Jackie snapped her book shut and put it carefully away in her bag. She then helped Richie collect the rest of his belongings and put them away so they could walk to Charms class together. Cow and Mow were waiting at the door. The small group slowly made their way to class. Cow and Mow where carrying on about something, one talking over the other. Jackie and Richie tried to keep up, but they couldn't make heads nor tails of their conversation. **

** "Stop" Jackie said firmly. The twins fell silent. "Thank you, now one at a time please."**

** "We saw Trevor Jones, just after Defense class." Cow said quickly.**

** "He's a seventh year you know." Mow added.**

** "He somehow disapparated." Cow was puzzled**

** "But only for a few moments, and he was back." Mow scratched her head.**

** "He was holding a small hourglass pendent." Cow recalled.**

** "Yes and he was counting how many times he turned the circle that surrounded it." Mow was clearly intrigued by what she had seen.**

** "Look!" Cow said in hushed urgency. "There he is. Don't everyone look at once!" Richie and Jackie turned slowly. Trevor wore the pendant the twins described. The small hourglass in the center reminded Richie of the key in his foot locker. **

** "So what do you think it is?" The twins asked in unison.**

** "I am not sure." Jackie said. "We all know that you cannot disapparated or apperate in Hogwarts."**

** "True." Richie said, lost in thought. "Let's get to class; we can discuss it more there." Jackie could see the wheels turning in his mind. She couldn't wait to find out what he was thinking. **

** Jackie, Richie and the twins took their seats. Jazz waited for all the students to find their seats, and then shut the class room door. They were working on a few different basic charms. Ones that the twins, Jackie and Richie had mastered the first day. Today they were to start working on the Reparo charm. **

"**So what is going on in that tiny mind of yours Richie?" Jackie questioned. Richie noticed that Jackie's voice was monotone, and flat. At first, he thought she was just trying to mimic Professor Binns. Then he realized Jackie always spoke like this. There was no fluctuation in her voice. She never seemed to get excited or disappointed. Even when she was mad she yelled in monotone. Something else he would note to ask her about at a different time.**

"**I was thinking about the hourglass thing around Trevor's neck. Something about it makes me keep thinking that it may have something to do with the key."**

**Jazz had handed a teacup to each student. He stopped for a moment when he came to the familiar four. **

"**It would be nice if the four of you could pay a little more attention in class. You know set an example." Jazz smiled at them. Jackie turned to him and calmly replied.**

"**Do you mean like the one we have set at home? Should we fall off the balcony, or charm the chairs to run down the hall?" She crossed her arms over her chest, in the same fashion he mother did. Jazz chuckled at Jackie's comment. She smiled at him half heatedly.**

"**At the least act like you are paying attention." Jazz winked at them, and continued to hand out the cups. Jackie turned back to Richie.**

"**That thing around Trevor's neck obviously is too small for the key to fit. Plus it is much more modern than the key. The ware on the key shows decades, possibly centuries of use. The possibility's that they are even linked are minimal."**

**Jazz instructed the class to carefully break the cup in front of them.**

"**But the hourglass is almost identical. I have studied the bloody thing for hours." Richie was upset that Jackie had dismissed his line of thought. **

**Each student did as they were asked. Richie with a little more gusto than the rest. He turned to Jackie. **

"**You know Jacordia, contrary to your popular belief, you don't know everything." He snapped at her. **

**Jazz flicked his wand and one of the black board erasers flew their direction and smack Richie and Jackie in the head. They turned their attention to him. Jazz broke the three cups he sat on his desk. It was a good thing that Charms class was pretty much secluded on the third floor. With Jasper Whitehorse as the professor, it was bound to be anything but quiet. Jazz demonstrated the proper wand movement and pronunciation for the class on each to the three cups.**

**Jackie looked at Richie. **

"**I have never claimed to know everything Richard! But I am smart enough to use my ability to rule things out." Her voice was still monotone, but the anger in her eyes spoke volumes.**

**At that moment another eraser flew their direction. The two ducked out of its path and sat up looking at Jazz. It was then the eraser smacked the two of them in the back of the head. Cow and Mow found this quite amusing, and burst into giggles. The eraser then clapped the twins in the mouth.**

**Jazz instructed the students to now try it for themselves. The four picked up their wands and almost in unison spoke the word "Reparo" The cups were whole again.**

"**Maybe so Jackie, but you have to remember that in magic things are not always what they seem" Richard stood his ground, he always did with her.**

"**Your right Richie. Magic does change how we look at things. I am just trying to say that sometime you should go with the more obvious answer first." Jackie held the anger in her eyes for a moment. Richie didn't know that what he had said really hurt her feelings. Jackie wasn't trying to be right all the time. She was just practical. She couldn't help it if she was right more times than she was wrong.**

**From the front of the class they heard their names, but it was not Uncle Jazz's voice they heard. The two snapped their heads quickly forward expecting to see Jackie's mother standing there, hands on her hips tapping her foot. Instead they saw Uncle Jazz grinning from ear to ear. The whole class burst into laughter. Richie and Jackie turned as red as Ember's hair. The two of them didn't speak to each other for the rest of class. Jackie took out her art quills and sketch book and began drawing. Richie decided to finish his work for History of Magic. Cow and Mow continued to break and repair their cup for the rest of class. The bell rang. Each of them collected their belongings and head off for Herbology. Cow and Mow were the only two talking, but they were using their personal twin language so no one could understand what they were discussing. Jackie was sure it was about her and Richie, but she really didn't care.**

Students stopped momentarily, waiting for the staircases to decide where they wanted to rest. Richie stood among the small throng of students, glad to at last be heading to lunch. Charms and Herbology had gone okay, but his same old problem of knowing much of the coursework already made for some very long classes. _At least Uncle Jazz tried to keep Charms interesting_, Richie thought, too bad Uncle Billy didn't run Herbology. _Maybe it wouldn't be so boring then._

The staircase in front of him finally came to a rest and he stepped down with a few of the other Gryffindors that had also switched books before heading to lunch in the Great Hall.

He looked around at the paintings again, searching the frames. Richie couldn't shake the feeling that he was being followed, but the pictures all looked like they usually did and no one in the paintings were even looking at him directly. Richie tried to shrug off the sensation and continued to walk with the others and into the Great Hall.

The large double doors loomed ahead when he thought he had caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He stopped and searched the nearest painting. It was a group of wizards and witches around some sort of a document, there were many faces in the crowd. The nearest one looked over at him.

"Something I can help you with boy?" The man inquired of him.

"Um, no sir. I thought I had saw something, but, um, never mind." Richie said as he started walking again to lunch. This time he knew he had seen something but just didn't know what. _Yet._

"About time you got here." Jackie said as she scooped up bits of lettuce for her salad.

"I decided to drop off the morning books and grab the afternoon books."

"Your bag can hold them all. All of our parents got us the magic ones. There is no need to drop off anything." Jackie stated back with a suspicious look.

Richie just shrugged. "I don't want to look like a girl carrying a purse, that's all."

"Well that is a stupid reason. Your mom could transform it into something else more 'manly' if it would make a difference."

He gave her a dismissive look as he started looking around for the Greek pasta that he liked so much.

Jackie rolled her eyes and looked over at the twins. They smiled back in their 'we've got a secret' way they usually had which really irritated Jackie and Richie to no end.

With a huge scoop of pasta and a garlic breadstick, Richie started eating his lunch. "I have been thinking about Halloween. I know here at the school there is a feast and all, but it could be fun to sneak home and surprise everyone in costume. What do you think?"

Both Mow and Cow nodded in agreement. "But if we do that, I think we'll have to error on the side of trick than treat. We can get dad back for last year."

"Well I wasn't thinking of turning a bogart lose in his bedroom, but we could really send Auntie Addy over the edge by showing up as a group of clowns."

"You want mom to kill us before we even make it to the door?" Jackie asked.

"So what would you suggest?" Richie said. He almost added the words 'since you know everything and are the boss of everybody' but thought better of it.

"I still wonder how you think we are sneaking out of here in the first place." Jackie replied and took another bite from her meal.

Richie was glad she was at least speaking and not just drawing as usual. He wondered how she could spend so much time wrapped up in a picture instead of dealing with the real world.

"I figure we'll take a page outta Ember and Gypsy's book and hideaway in Auntie Harmony's purse."

"Hmmm, that has possibilities." Jackie said thoughtfully.

They sat around the table and ate in silence for a little while. After Richie finished his lunch he had decided to ask the others about what was on his mind.

"Have any of you guys had the feeling you were being watched by the paintings? And I'm not talking about the usual way. I mean like someone was stalking you."

The twins looked at each other then said "No" at the same time. Jackie surveyed his face intently before she finally spoke.

"Not really. But then I pretty much started ignoring them after the first week. Any idea who might be following you?" She asked without a hint of humor to which he was quietly thankful for.

"No idea, and I can't prove it, but I just get this feeling in the back of my neck. Started this morning and I can't seem to shake it. I know, stupid isn't it?" He tried to laugh it off but there wasn't any real humor in the action.

"Well I think we all should keep an eye out on the way to Transfiguration just to be safe. Never hurts to stay vigilant, right?" Jackie said. Usually he would have thought it was a bossy thing to do, ordering everyone to do what she wanted, but he was happy they all hadn't laughed at him.

They all gathered their books and headed off to Transfiguration together. As they walked down the halls Richie could see the others checking out the paintings, trying to not to be obvious about it. Richie walked alongside of Jackie.

"Thanks for believing me." He said to her in what he hoped was an offhand sort of way.

"Of course I'd believe you. Your mom and dad have terrific instincts on these kinda things, so it is understandable that you would have inherited the same sense. Now if only you could see what our sisters are about to do before they do it, that would be useful." Jackie said, smiling at him.

"I know, but then I'd be Em and Gyp's keeper instead of dad. And between you and me, I think he likes that job."

"I swear he inadvertently eggs those two on. What parent would give their kids ice cream after leaving the house without permission? Not that I'm saying anything bad about your dad, Richie, I just worry that it sends the wrong message."

"I know what you mean, but I have to say that those two are becoming quite clever. If this keeps up they will be a force to reckon with when they are adults."

"We just have to hope they use it for good, not evil?" Jackie said with a wink.

"Yeah, but I doubt they would do anything evil. That would upset dad and those two hang off his every word."

"Very true. And if your dad was upset with them then he might leave them for mom to deal with and that could get bad."

"Agreed." Richie smiled back at Jackie as they made the last turn.

As they arrived at the classroom the twins caught up with Richie and Jackie. Melody stopped them in the doorway.

"For a minute I thought I saw something," she started.

"But then it was gone. Sorry we weren't more helpful." Cadence finished.

"As long as everyone doesn't think I'm going out of my mind then I'll settle for you almost seeing something." Richie nodded to the twins.

Mow and Cow walked in and Jackie followed. Richie gave one last look around and suddenly he realized someone was staring back at him. The shock snapped though his body. Across from the doorway was a painting of a rocky mountain ledge, and sitting on it was a man. He had one leg dangling over the edge and the other was folded up towards his chest with one arm draped across the knee. The brown hair and eyes gave him away instantly. He was being followed by his namesake, Richard.

Transfiguration drug on for Richie. From his seat he could see the painting and its occupant even though it was far away. Richard continued to sit there on the ledge and Richie was sure the man was watching him intently even if he couldn't make out the details of his face.

In class they were supposed to be transforming mice into teacups. Mow and Cow giggled together about taking the teacups later and putting them on their dad's shelves but Jackie thought it wasn't nice because if the cup hadn't turned all the way, some first year would accidently break a living creature. The twins rolled their eyes at her and went back to whispering to each other.

Richie had gone back to staring out the doorway when he was suddenly aware that Ms. McGonagall was standing in front of him, staring down at him with the intensity only she knew how to make.

"Mr. McPherson, I would expect you to pay better attention in class. Your mom had a hard time staying in the here and now, but your father was always attentive. I was greatly hoping you took after your father more on that one."

"Sorry Professor McGonagall. I'll try to do better." Richie said, straightening up in his chair and refocusing on the task at hand.

"As long as you don't start sleeping in class. Your mom seemed to think my classes were the best time to take naps. Do me a favor. If you start having troubles sleeping as she did, feel free to fall asleep," she paused and her lips gave a small quirky upturn, "in History of Magic. Now let's see you do the assignment, shall we?"

Richie took up his wand and formed the thoughts in his head. He tapped the white mouse that was crawling around his desk and instantly it turned into a pretty white and pink teacup with a painted mouse face on one side and the tail was a pink porcelain handle that curved up delicately to the rim.

The professor raised her eyebrow. "Very good. Well at least you have also gotten your mother's talent for transfiguration. She was an excellent pupil. When she was awake."

"Then I'm sure you'll be thrilled to get my sister Ember in your class in a few more years. She'll probably make you wish she DID fall asleep in class."

With the hint of a smile the headmistress replied. "Yes, I've already heard about your little sister's impromptu visit to the school. She does seem rather eager and very willing and frighteningly capable. I find it interesting that your mother spent much of her time trying to escape Hogwarts and now her little red headed daughter and her shadow keep trying to get in. Something tells me we haven't seen the last of those two at Hogwarts this year."

"Unfortunately ma'am, I'd have to agree." Richie glanced out the door and confirmed that Richard was still awaiting him in the painting.

"Well, if that happens I'm sure you all know what to do. And now may I ask a favor of you Mr. McPherson?"

"Um, sure, I guess." Richie looked back up at the professor.

"Can you take this book back to the library for me? I found it in the teacher's lounge trying to eat the table lamp. I have no doubt who put the charm on it but the book does need to be returned now that I have removed the spell."

"Yes ma'am." Richie nodded, getting out of his seat.

"And if any of you happen to see Professor Whitehorse, please remind him that he is a teacher, not a student. I believe he may, at times, forget that."

Richie nodded to McGonagall and headed for the door.

As he passed Jackie she looked up from her latest drawing. She had of course completed the assignment several minutes into the class and then withdrawn herself into her sketch pad as usual. He had already told her about who was waiting in the painting outside and she had made sure to get out of her seat to help pass out mice just to get a good look.

He tried not to look apprehensive but as Jackie stared back at him he knew he was utterly failing in that. He had too much of his father's face that could never hide his true feelings to be able to mask his emotion.

As he stepped out into the hallway, he made sure not to look at the man in the picture but he knew right away that Richard had stood up and was following behind him. Richie could hear the other paintings talk to the man as he walked through their frames. He refused to look up and instead walked faster trying to make it to the library without having to talk to Richard. He knew it was ridiculous to be avoiding a moving painted man but the specter from the past seemed too real for Richie's taste.

At the bottom of a flight of stairs Richie had to wait for the staircases to resettle and the phantom caught up with him. He tried to shake the spooky feeling of the man's eyes on him.

"Richie, is there a reason you are avoiding me?"

The words startled Richie and before he realized it, he had turned around and was facing the handsome man.

"I just don't really have anything to say to you, that's all." Richie tried to sound like he didn't care, but even he could hear the high pitch in his voice.

"If you want to talk, I'm here, anytime."

"I know that. We have a painting just like yours in the tree house."

"But the magic here is a little stronger then at the Tree house. I can interact with you much more."

"Then you haven't been to the tree house lately. With so many wizarding kids there, magic is everywhere."

"You are right." The man said thoughtfully. "It has been a long time since I was there. Well over a decade I believe."

Richie couldn't help but flinch. It was hard to think about his mom having spent so much time with this man at the same tree house that he himself had grown up playing in. No, not this man he reminded himself, this is just a painted image on canvas. Not the real Richard.

"Are you unhappy with me Richie? Have I done something that you are angry about? When I spoke to your dad earlier today-"

"You talked with dad? Why did you do that?" Richie blurted out.

"Well he is my best friend after all. He was here to get your sister and Gypsy and he saw me in a painting on the fourth floor and stopped to say hello. I didn't know this would make you feel uncomfortable."

"It doesn't, it isn't, well, I have to get to the library." Richie's words stumbled out of his mouth as he turned back in time to see the staircase have second thoughts about where it had landed and it moving to a new spot.

"I'm sorry I have upset you. I guess I've just been waiting so long to meet you I never took into consideration that you wouldn't want to talk to me."

Richie tried not to show how it upset him that he made the man sad. He turned back to the image of his namesake, searching for words.

"I'm sorry. I just don't know what to say to you." He finally said, hoping that the man would understand.

With an easy smile his namesake replied. "Then let me do the talking. I could tell you stories about your parents."

"I've heard tons of stories. They all like to tease each other all the time about things that have been done in the past."

"Well I'm sure I could tell you a few more that you've never heard. Your mom and I dated for a few years."

"Yes, I know." Richie bit off the words far harder than he had intended. "But I have to go now. Before McGonagall sends me to detention for taking too long."

"Strange how she decided today to finally return that book back to the library. She's had it in her possession for several weeks now since Jazz left it in the lounge. I saw her follow your stare and look at me. Strange indeed."

Richie had a sneaking suspicion that his dad had talked to McGonagall as well while he was at the school. He thought about texting his dad on the bracelet but didn't want him to know how he felt about his namesake.

"I'm sure she has her reasons. Anyway, nice talking to you. I'll see you around the school." Richie walked quickly down the staircase working hard not to look back to see if the man was following him or not. He was at a loss as to what to do so he decided not to do anything about it but try to ignore his feelings inside. He wanted to talk to him and yet he didn't. The terrible conflict was eating at him but he didn't know who to talk to. Richie realized that the man he was named after was probably the best person to discuss it with but something kept stopping him and he felt a little ashamed at being so timid.

His bracelet buzzed. Richie looked down and saw his mother's writing.

_Are you okay sweetie? Jackie said that you didn't look so good when you left Transfiguration. She said you saw the image of Richard following you. Now don't get mad at Jackie, she is just worried for you as well. Did talking with Richard go okay?_

Richie sighed. He lightly touched his bracelet and sent a message back._ I'm fine mom. I just don't feel like talking to that man. I mean Richard. I'm not sure what to say to him._

_Say whatever you feel, if he is even the ghost of the former man, Richard was always a good listener. Whatever you tell him he won't say to anyone else. You don't have to worry about that._

_It isn't that, mom, it's just…_ he trailed off, trying to find words to say.

_Honey, what's going on? You've always been curious about Richard, and even though he's gone, you can still learn more about the wonderful man that your dad and I named you after._

_I know. It just seems weird. If he hadn't had died, would you and him named me after dad instead? Did you love him more than dad?_ Richie immediately regretted what he wrote but it was too late, the message was gone.

His heart pounded harder as the seconds ticked by without a reply. He worried he had accidently hurt his mother's feelings. He touched the bracelet again and hurried out an apology. _I'm sorry, I didn't mean that._

_It's okay honey. I think I understand now. I can't say what would have happened had Richard lived. I used to think about it every day and I tortured myself with the answer until your dad was able to save me from my own thoughts. It isn't about who I loved more. We love everyone in a different way. I know it is hard to understand right now, but it will make sense later in life. If you don't feel like talking to Richard right now then don't let it bug you. In time maybe you'll feel different and then you can seek him out. Don't push it if you aren't ready sweetie. I love you._

_I love you too mom. I'll keep that in mind. But I better be hurrying back to class before the bell rings. Say hello to dad and Ember for me. And her shadow._

_I will sweetheart. Let me know if you need to talk. Hugs._

_Hugs._ Richie didn't feel as good as after he had talked to his dad and that made him feel worse. He was sure he had upset his mother and if she wasn't at her best she might miss something and get hurt or…

His breath caught in his throat as he dropped the book in the receptacle. Immediately he tried to change the road his thoughts were taking before he became too upset. Instead he thought about his next class, Potions, and how Jackie would as always try to be better than him in it. Potions was never his strong point and she knew it. Today he vowed to himself to beat her at whatever they were making. Show everyone that he was fine.

As he entered the long hallway again to return to Transfiguration his eyes were drawn to a spot of red in one of the many paintings. He walked closer to it and realized it was the dark mahogany color of his mother's own hair. Her younger self was standing next to a wall and leaning her back on it. She was talking to Richard who leaned over her with his hand on the wall above her shoulder and standing too close to his mother for Richie's taste. Suddenly they both looked at him. He quickly backed away from the painting, filled with an emotion he couldn't describe or place. Without another look back, he bolted down the hallway to the stairwell beyond.

The bell rang and Jackie stood up from her seat to collect Richie's books. He hadn't returned from the library and she was getting worried. Potions was next and since they shared all their classes she figured she would take his stuff along so he would have it when he returned from what must have become one hell of a quest. She slung her own bag over her shoulder and picked up his books and turned to leave.

Mow and Cow were standing at the doorway waiting. It hadn't gone unnoticed that Richie had failed to reappear. She reached to touch her bracelet when he came tearing in from the hallway and almost collided with her in his haste.

"Oh, Jackie!" Richie gasped, out of breath. "Sorry, I didn't see you there."

"Here are your books. I thought maybe you'd want them in the next class. You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Oh, um," Richie's eyes searched the nearest paintings in agitation. "No worries. We should get to class." He said, hastily grabbing the books from her arms and dropping two of them in the process.

Jackie was instantly worried. Richie was by no means a klutz unless something had really gotten to him.

"You want to-"

"No!" Richie blurted out, cutting her off harshly. His eyes were still wild when they met hers. "I mean, sorry. Let's get going." He quickly grabbed his books from the floor and turned to the twins who were watching him like he'd lost his mind. He stood between them and once again searched the nearby paintings.

Jackie nodded to the others to start walking. They all headed down the hallway, Richie walking next to Cadence and Melody behind him beside Jackie. She searched her mind for something to talk about to break the strange silence between them all.

An idea struck her. "So, since we have been talking about putting together a band, we should come up with a name. I was thinking maybe something like Falling Into the Sky, or Defiance Rising?"

Cadence smiled. "I like Murder of Taste. Or Down With Sanity."

"I know," Melody added in a slight giggle, "Brilliantly Ordinary. Or Doesn't Play Well With Others. How about Anarchy of Order?"

"Love Till it Bleeds. Crushing Peace. Hey, if it was an all girl band it could be The Lid is Down." Cad bantered back.

"I got it! Savage Beauty! Or Lost In Thought? That really describes us." Melody said with a significant look at Richie who was staring at every painting they passed.

"We can be The End Is Near My Butt." Cadence snickered with a sideways glance at Richie. Or Dead Heroes."

That stopped Richie cold. It was so abrupt that Jackie walked into the back of him before she realized he had stopped walking. Richie looked at the others like he was lost, his eyes slowly focusing on the others. "Um, I thought our band was Discordia's Children. That's what it says on the door. And it makes the most sense."

"Yeah, I think Richie is right. It is the best name for all of us." Jackie agreed, trying not to look at him in the eye. She had been spacing out a little, looking into the paintings trying to see whatever it was Richie kept looking for. She suspected who it was but didn't want to say anything.

As they reached the potions room Richie slowed down and Jackie ended up next to him as the twins walked on in. He turned slightly to her and in a whisper spoke.

"Please do me a favor and don't say anything to anyone else. Even my mom and dad, okay?"

"I won't but I don't know about the twins. You are acting awfully peculiar."

"Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind."

She reached out her hand and pulled him to the side. "What happened? Did you get into a fight with Richard from the painting for following you?"

"I really don't want to talk about it, okay? Can't you leave it alone for once?"

Jackie took a step back. "Fine. I have better things to do anyway." She said and moved to step around Richie and into the classroom.

"Like what, drawing in your book? I wish I could get away from real life that way too." He murmured under his breath.

She couldn't decide if he was trying to get to her or if he really meant it. She looked into his face a moment longer. His eyes met hers but they seemed haunted by something. But the class was starting so she let it slide. But she couldn't shake his comment. Or the distant troubled look on his face.

Chapter 2

Outcasts

"You look like you've seen a ghost." A voice spoke to Richie as they set down their books and readied their cauldrons for Potions class. He looked to his left side and met the dark eyes of a fellow Gryffindor. Alexis Parker looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

Her mocha skin stood in stark contrast to her best friend Skylar Todd who stood on her other side and leaned over the counter to also look at Richie. "Alex, in this school that isn't anything big, remember?"

Alexis and Skylar were new to the wizarding world. They had been at the school for a month and a half and were still having trouble acclimatizing to the new world view. No one knew much about the two of them since they largely kept to themselves with seeming distrust of everyone and everything. Everyone wondered why they were put into Gryffindor in the first place since they didn't seem to fit.

"Okay, then he looks like he's seen… um, what is something bad here Sky?" Alex turned to Sky and pursed her lips.

"How about a dementor. They are supposed to be bad, right?" Sky said helpfully to Alex.

She nodded her head. "Okay, a dementor it is then." The girl turned back and Richie had the impression she was sizing him up. "Although I still think it was a ghost. Or whatever that guy in the painting is."

His heart dropped through his chest to the floor. "Wha- what are you talking about?" he stammered.

"The brown haired man who had been following you around all day. Well, actually for days now. From the painting in the Gryffindor common room, you know, the one with all those teenagers in it. He seems rather intent on you."

"Wait," Skylar cut in, "didn't I see one of the other guys from the painting, a real life person though older, talking to you this morning Richie? He was carrying those two little girls that were at our table for breakfast this morning."

Richie stared at Skylar for a few moments, unable to say anything. The other boy had short, slightly curly brownish blond hair and blue eyes that were almost grey. His pale skin had started to take on a healthier hue since arriving at Hogwarts. The boy was unusually tall for his age and towered over the others at an astounding 5.5' but his body was rail thin from what Richie thought was starvation. Both him and Alexis had eaten ravenously since their arrival at the school. Their bodies had filled out some and the bones didn't stick out so far, but they were far from normal healthy looking eleven year olds. The dull look to their eyes had never gone away.

"That was Richie's dad." Jackie cut in helpfully. Richie's cauldron was at the end of the table perched on the corner and Jackie had set her cauldron next to his on the end of the long countertop. "The red headed little girl is his sister Ember and the other girl is my sister Gypsy. Uncle John had come to get them when they snuck in here with Auntie Harm and Uncle Jazz."

"You are from the crazy family that everyone talks about, aren't you?" Alexis said. "The ones who live together in sortof a commune or something."

Jackie's tone was less friendly as she lowered her eyelids in a slight glare as she studied Alexis. "It isn't a commune. It's our family."

"So you four are all cousins then?" Skylar asked.

"No, our parents are just such very close friends that we were all raised together." Jackie explained with an edge to her voice. She glanced over at the twins that were on the opposite side of the table from Richie and the two new kids. The four of them had often fielded rude questions and accusations from other kids at the school for how their family lived. It was a touchy subject that put them immediately on edge.

"That sounds weird. Kinda like a cult." Alexis snorted and pulled out her potions book. It had been borrowed from the school's books and was in bad shape. The two kids had borrowed all their books and equipment from the school. The girl always wore black worn clothes with long sleeve and pants that matched the flaking black nail polish she had on her short fingernails. Her black hair had almost a rough pixie cut to it, but gave off the impression that someone had just taken regular scissors to her hair and whacked it off without knowing how to cut hair. Sky's clothes were stained and tattered with patched holes. Richard never had said anything to him about it since the boy had so few things with him when he had arrived.

"It isn't a cult. We just watch out for each other, that's all." Jackie snapped, clearly upset at where the conversation was going.

"So back to the original question. Richie, why is one of your, um, family members following you in a painting? And why does it bother you so much?" Alexis asked.

He swallowed hard. "I was named after the man in the painting. He's dead. He died in the Battle of Hogwarts that our parents fought in."

"Ha! So I was right! It was a ghost!" Alexis proclaimed. "Well, the image of a ghost. Or, well, whatever."

"So why is he bothering you? If your parents were all friends…" Skylar started to say but Richie cut him off.

"I don't really feel like talking about this right now, okay? We have an assignment to finish." He snapped and turned to his book and flipped it open to the correct page with a savageness that he couldn't control.

"Sorry dude. Didn't mean to make you twichy or nothing." Skylar commented and turned back to his own cauldron and torn book.

"Dammit." Alexis slammed her fist down on the countertop.

"What's wrong Alex?" Sky asked. "One of your favorite boy bands break up again?" He smiled and nudged her.

"No, the fekkin page for this spell is missing from my book. How the hell am I supposed to do this stupid assignment if I don't have the instructions?"

Melody cleared her throat. "Why don't you ask your mom and dad to get you a better copy?"

"Yeah, that aint gonna happen there sparky." Alexis sneered.

"They can contact the Headmistress if they need help I'm sure…"

"I said that's not gonna happen." Alexis bit back harder.

"Here," Cadence said in a loud voice, cutting off any replies from his sister, "you can borrow my book today. It is the latest version." He looked over at Skylar's book that was very old. "I'll just share my sister's book for today."

Alexis eyed him suspiciously. "Why would you do that? What are you expecting in return?"

"How about some friendly conversation?" Cad careful said back. He slid the brand new copy of the potions book across the counter to Alexis and gave her a weak smile. "Besides, we always help each other out anyway. So there really is no difference."

It took Alexis a few more moments to finally come to a decision. She took the book and opened it to the correct page carefully like she was afraid to break it. Skylar looked over her shoulder at the book and compared it with what was on the page for his own filthy borrowed book. Alexis positioned the page so that he could see better and they started reading.

Richie exchanged looks with Jackie and the twins then bent over his own book to work. No one talked as they set about creating their concoctions. After ten minutes or so, Alexis finally nudged Richie.

"By the way, sorry about upsetting you. I didn't mean it."

He looked up briefly and nodded to her and returned to his own potion.

"And thank you Cadence for the use of your book. Sky and I really do appreciate it."

"No worries Alexis." Cadence smiled back.

"Call me Alex."

"Okay Alex. Call me Cade."

"Sure. But why do Richie and Jackie call you two Cow and Mow? I've heard them call you that in the common room, in the hallways and when we eat."

"Oh, it is our initials. It drives mom crazy but we are so used to it that we don't really notice."

"Your mom teaches Divination, right? And your dad is our Charms teacher?" Sky asked.

"Yep." The twins said together.

"So Richie," Alex turned slightly to him as she stirred her pot, "what do your parents do, if you don't mind me asking. If you don't want to say-"

"It's okay. Mom and dad are Aurors."

"That's like the wizard police or something, right?" Alex asked with some trepidation in her voice.

"Mmmmm yes and no. They go after dark wizards and bad magic. But they aren't going to give you a ticket for littering or anything like that." He replied with a slight laugh. "Although mom wanted to give that Ms. Camden a good smack to for allowing her creeping plants to take over the muggle neighbor's garden. They almost strangled a, um, what was that called, mail person?"

"A dangerous plant almost killed the mail carrier?" Sky said in astonishment. "I'm surprised that in this day and age that the regular world hasn't discovered this magical world."

"That's only because of the hard work of so many witches and wizards. Even some muggles too. The Minister of Magic, Ms. Hermione Weasley, talks to the muggle minister all the time to coordinate things. But it is quite a bit of effort."

"I bet." Alex twitched her eyebrows. She looked up at Jackie. "So what do your parents do? They Aurors too?"

"No, my dad works in the ministry in the Department for Underage Magic which is a good thing. He's the first one notified when any of us get into trouble." She smiled at Richie. "It helps keep track of our siblings. And mom runs the house. With so many people coming and going she has the most important job of all."

"How many people are living in the same house?" Sky asked with a sideward glance.

"Well, Auntie Harm and Uncle Jazz have two sets of twins. Mow and Cow and younger set Jubilee and Aria. So that makes six for them." Jackie ticked off everyone on her fingers. "Uncle John and Auntie Dia have Richie and Ember, so that is four more. And mom and dad have me, Callen, Gypsy, Serenity and she's pregnant again. So that is six and a half. So when everyone is actually home, there are sixteen and a half people at the table."

"Wow, that's crazy!" Sky blurted out, and then quickly recovered. "I mean that is a lot of mouths to feed and take care of. Your mom must have her hands full."

Jackie sighed. "You have no idea." She rolled her eyes. "I was looking forward to coming to Hogwarts just to have some peace and quiet."

"Is that why you are always drawing in your book?" Alex asked. "I mean, I see you absorbed in one sketch or another whenever you aren't working on your assignments or homework."

"I love to draw." She shrugged. Jackie then looked up at Alex. "What do your parents do?"

Alex and Sky exchanged a look of their own then bent over their own work. Finally Alex mumbled, "Oh, they don't work much. Not a lot of jobs out there. Dad got injured and can't work anymore anyway."

"Oh, sorry to hear that. Must be tough. You have brothers and sisters?" Jackie asked, not looking at the two.

"Um, yeah, a few." Was all Alex said.

"How about you Skylar?"

"Call me Sky. My mom, well she does various jobs, and my dad left long ago so I never met him."

"Oh, I didn't mean to pry."

"It's okay. It is what it is." He said with a shrug. "I like it here at Hogwarts better though. Even if we are completely lost here."

"Well if you have any questions feel free to ask." Jackie smiled at him. "How long have you two known each other? You seemed to already know one another when we saw you the first day at the Hogwarts Express."

"We have known each other for years. Met at grade school. Weird things would happen and no one would believe us except each other." Sky said. "One day mom came to find out where I was and met Alex's parents. They often hang out now." He gave her another look which she pretended not to see. "So for a long time."

"I wish we could stay here over the summer." Alex murmured under her breath.

"I'd like to be able to go home every night." Richie mumbled.

"Why would you want to go back home every night? This place is so cool?" Sky asked Richie.

He just shrugged, knowing that Jackie and the twins were probably exchanging looks. "I like it at home, that's all."

"What's the difference," Melody giggled, "a bunch of us are here with you anyway. And with the Trouble Twins coming for a visit, something tells me at one point or another we will see the whole household here."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Jackie's eyes widened as she rolled her eyes making the twins laugh.

"And besides," Melody continued as she added the last of the ingredients to Cadence's and her own cauldrons, "if we ever need to ask a question we can just send a message. So it isn't that far off from being home."

"Oh yes it is," Alex, Sky and Richie all said at the same time. They looked at each other and chuckled.

"How do you message each other? I haven't seen any cell phones here." Sky asked.

"Our bracelets." Melody showed him, and Alex looked on also. "We all have one. Our daddy made them for everyone in the family. Keeps us connected so we can stay-"

"Constantly vigilant." Richie, Jackie and Cade all droned, and then exchanged smiles.

Alex and Sky just looked at the others with a strange look.

"So you can talk to each other or so your parents can keep tabs on you?" Alex asked in what Richie felt was in some negative way.

"We can talk to each other anytime we need to. Find out what's going on. Watch each other's backs." Cade said. "As for keeping tabs on each other, we have a clock back home for that."

"A clock that tattles on where you are or what you are doing?" Alex said, taken aback.

"It has hands on it with each of our names, and that of our parents. The hand goes to different things like 'work' or 'school' or 'traveling'. Mom of course freaks out when anyone's hand goes to 'mortal danger.'" Jackie explained.

"How often does that happen?" Sky asked.

Richie studied his book intently, refusing to look up.

"Well for most of us not that often." Cadence was saying. Richie was sure he was looking his way though. "But for Auntie Dia and Uncle John it happens more often than the rest of us like. Comes with the job I suppose."

"Oh." Sky said, letting the subject drop into an uncomfortable silence.

After a few more minutes Alex spoke up. "I was wondering. I though you all said you were of no real relation like cousins. So why do you refer to the grownups as Auntie or Uncle?"

"I don't know, we just do." Jackie said with a shrug. "We're family."

"You say that like it is supposed to explain something." Alex looked at Jackie with her dark eyebrows knitted together.

"Well of course. Family sticks together. Any of our parents would do anything for us kids, even if they weren't our own parents. My own sister Gypsy sees Richie's dad more often than our own."

"Doesn't that make him jealous?"

"Of what? Uncle John? No, I think dad is just grateful that he doesn't have to deal with Ember and Gypsy that often. It usually doesn't end well when he does."

"So your dad doesn't like one of your sisters?" Sky asked.

"Oh he loves Gypsy of course! But Uncle John is better at handling Ember and Gypsy. The Trouble Twins are… well…"

"Troublemakers?" Melody giggled.

"They are special." Jackie shook her head at Melody.

"Oh, yeah, special. That's a good word for them." Cade took his turn rolling his eyes.

"They get all the attention around the house then?" Sky said, still trying to grasp the concept.

"They are just very…creative. That's all." Richard said, cutting in. "Ember and Gypsy are inseparable. And, well, they are very…busy."

"And they live in a different world than the rest of us." Jackie added, grinning at Richie. "That's how your dad put it one day."

"Well that world is a heck of a lot more fun than ours. I'd like to live there." Richie snickered back.

Alex and Sky just watched the two of them.

"I guess that's the difference with coming from a muggle home." Alex said in a low voice and took the stirring rod from her cauldron. "I always wished I could live in a different world. And thanks to this place, I get to."

"I'd just like to live in a quiet place for once." Jackie sighed.

"Quiet is overrated. So is being alone." Sky almost whispered.

"Sorry, I wouldn't know what either of those things are." Jackie replied back to him with a hint of a smile. "Someone is always yelling and you can hardly go to the bathroom without having to kick someone or something else out first."

"From the sound of your house I'd trade you in a heartbeat." Sky looked intently at Jackie, and then shook his head. "So how are we supposed to know if this potion is done?"

"Well, did it blow up yet?" Richie laughed. "Dad said he always knew when all mom's potions were done because there was a room shaking kaboom at the end."

"He's kidding, the mixture won't explode." Jackie quickly said to Sky when he started looking at the pot with growing fear. "Only Auntie Dia's cauldron explodes. But that's because she likes it that way."

"She's not good at potions?" Sky replied.

"No, she just likes to blow things up. And she's not someone you want to cross either. Gives her an excuse to blow more things up." Jackie tried to explain. "Anyway, the potion should take on a sweet smell when it is done. Like mine is."

Alex and Sky leaned over a bit and tried to catch a whiff of her cauldron's smell. Alex had a doubtful look on her face.

With a grin, Richie bobbed his head in Jackie's direction. "Listen to her. She knows what she's talking about. She's the best one in this class, just like her own mother was when she was here."

Richie saw Jackie beam and look down at her own brew.

The professor announced it was time to check over their potions. Jackie's won best of class once again but Richard didn't mind. The twins did well as usual along with him. But the professor was especially surprised that Alex and Sky's potion was passable for the first time ever. He remarked that they should stick around Richard and the others more often as it seemed to improve their work. Richard wasn't sure but he thought Alex had blushed a bit, but with her darker skin he wasn't sure.

When Alex tried to return the book Cadence told her to keep it. "I'll just have mom and dad grab me another one."

"Dad took Em and Gyp to Diagon Alley today, you think they are still there? He could grab you another book and send it with Uncle Jazz in the morning." Richard said as he gathered up his stuff and cleaned his workspace.

"I'd send it with Auntie Harm instead. You never know what your dad might slip into it before giving it to you."

"I liked the self folding paper he put in there last time." Cadence said as they all started to leave class to go to dinner.

"It would have been fine if you dad hadn't tried to 'enhance' it. The stupid paper folded everything in your footlocker while you were away. Including the glass picture frame! You spent the evening repairing all your stuff!"

"I still liked it…"

**As they neared the Great Hall, the wonderful aroma of the night's meal wafted past them. Sky's stomach gave a loud growl. Cade's stomach growled back in what seemed like an answer to Sky's. **

"**Great." Jackie muttered. "Another language we don't speak." She rolled her eyes at Richie and chuckled. **

"**Yeah, but at least we understand this one." Richie and Jackie laughed. Alex squinted her eyes at the two, as she tried to puzzle out what they were talking about. Then it caught her. She smiled at the two.**

"**You mean that Cade and Melody really understand what they are saying when they speak that gibberish. I have heard them do it. I just thought it was some kind of act." Alex was studying Richie and Jackie's faces. **

"**Oh yes, it is their own language. Many twins do it. Mom says that they did it before they could speak. Their brother and sister have one too." Jackie smiled at her. "You'll get used to it." Richie nodded in agreement.**

**Jackie, Richie and the twins took their usual seats making room for Sky and Alex. They all filled their plates, and began eating. Jackie and Richie watched as their new friends eat as if it were the last meal they were ever going to have. Richie raised his eyebrow at Jackie. Jackie shrugged and continued to pick at the food on her plate. **

**Melody opened the conversation at the table. **

"**So how freaked out were you two when you found out you were wizards?"**

"**Yeah, was it really weird?" Cade asked quickly.**

"**Well it was different." Sky said. "But odd things have been happening since I can remember. So it more explained things then freaked me out."**

** "Some of the other kids, from muggle families are still a bit freaked out. You two seem to be pretty at ease with it." Richie added.**

** "Well, it is kinda nice to be in a place where people are not afraid of us." Alex said quietly.**

** Jackie looked at Richie, her expression was clear. It was time to change the subject. Richie could tell that Alex and Sky were uncomfortable about the subject.**

** "So what is your favorite class? Richie asked the two of them.**

** "Lunch!" the two said in unison. The others laughed along with them.**

** "I like them all, they are all very fascinating. I am really amazed at how easily the ability to use magic is coming to me." Sky smiled. **

** "It's like it is just an extension of myself." Alex added, and Sky nodded in agreement.**

** "Alex, I notice that you are almost as good on a broom as Richie and Jackie." Melody said as she bit into a cookie.**

** "Oh yes, I really like to fly. It is amazing! Sky on the other hand likes to keep his feet pretty firmly on the ground." She smiled at him.**

** "Yeah I don't like to fly." Sky shuddered a little. **

** "I'm sure we can help you with that." Jackie said in a kind voice. "It is more about learning to trust yourself and your instincts."**

** "I don't know. My instincts tell me that falling isn't gonna hurt. It's the sudden stop when I hit the ground that is." He smiled at her. **

** They talked on about classes and things they like about Hogwarts through the rest of the meal. Once every one had finished, they agreed to meet in the Gryffindor common room to work on their homework.**

** "You all go on ahead; Richie and I need to stop by the library. We will be right there." Jackie was glad that Richie went along with her, and didn't question the statement. Cade and Melody, Alex and Sky walked on, as Jackie and Richie turned toward the library. **

** "You don't really need to go to the library, do you?" Richie asked her, as they rounded the corner outside the Library.**

** "Well I have been meaning to see what they have as far as art and drawing go, but no I don't need to. I wanted to talk to you more than anything." She had a serious tone to her voice.**

** "That is what I thought and really, I wanted to talk to you too." Richie smiled at her.**

** "Were you watching Alex and Sky today?" Jackie asked Richie as she sat her bag down and leaned against the wall.**

** "If you mean did I see them sneaking food into their bags, and how jumpy they are. Well how jumpy Sky is, and how Alex is constantly on guard." Richie was looking down at his feet.**

** "Yes that, but I mean when they were talking about home. Or should I say, trying to say as little about their home as they could. I get the feeling that it isn't a very nice place." Jackie had a look concern on her face.**

** "The way they talked about people being afraid of them. Could you imagine?" Richie was still studying the top of his shoes.**

** "Well I suggest we stay clear of the subject for a while. Let them bring it up." Jackie leaned over and picked up her bag.**

** "Agreed." Richie said. "I will message Cade and Melody, let them know." He touched his bracelet. It buzzed lightly, as did Jackie's. It wasn't the reply they had expected. It was Callen. Jackie read the message.**

** _Well the Trouble Twins have done it again. Somehow, while they were at Diagon Alley they talked Uncle John into bringing home a dog. Mom is UN-thrilled! Especially after Bella used her as an escape route. The cat ran up her and launched herself from the top of mom's head to the top of the refrigerator. Aunt Harm is still trying to get Bella down, and well Dad is not having much luck calming Mom down. Good new is __Serenity likes him, she stopped screaming the moment he licked her face. Wish I knew that was all it took to get her quiet. Hehe._**

**Jackie and Richie looked at each other. Jackie shook her head. **

** "I wonder how many living beings we can fit in that house?" Jackie was also un-thrilled. She let out a heavy sigh.**

** "Oh come on Jackie, every home needs a good dog. Our house just has a good dog, a prissy cat, a cross dressing Garden-Gnome, a menagerie of small woodland creatures, who knows what else and well, I really don't know what you would call Uncle Jazz." Richie smiled at Jackie. She smiled back.**

** "I think the scientists are still trying to figure out just how to classify Uncle Jazz! Not even the Ministry has figured it out." Jackie laughed. "That is why they keep him here. Who knows what would happen if he were allowed to roam freely." **

** "I shudder to think of it." Richie said smiling.**

** "Shudder to think of what?" Jazz said as he walked out of the library. Jackie and Richie couldn't help but burst into laughter. Once they regained control Richie turned to Jazz, who was scratching his head at their behavior.**

** "What keeps you here so late?" Richie asked. **

** "I had to un-spell a book. I had been working on a new charm, when it started to eat a lamp in the teachers' lounge. I was called away, and when I came back it was gone. I had been working on the charm for some time. It was suppose to protect the book from bookworms. Allowing the book to eat the worm before it had a chance to eat the book. Thankfully I figured it out before it ate all the table lamps in the library."**

** Richie's eyes were open wide. Jackie clapped her hand over her mouth. **

** "Oh, I see. Are you on your way home then?" Richie asked in a rather high pitched voice.**

** "Yes yes, I can't wait to get home and meet Colonel!" Jazz said excitedly. "Shame I had to miss his homecoming."**

** "Yes." Jackie said still smiling. "We heard it was an event just up your alley. So Uncle John picked a name for him."**

** "How did you know John named him?" Jazz looked at Jackie a bit puzzled. Jackie raised her eyebrow at him.**

** "Oh come on Uncle Jazz. If Dad had named him it would have been something like Malcolm, or Rex. It isn't cute enough for Aunt Harm to have picked it. Mom would have named it after someone or just assigned it a number. Aunt Dia would have given it some kind of name like Timber, or Sir Cosmic Blastoid of the Pegasus Galaxy." Jackie threw her bag over her shoulder and crossed her arms in front of her chest.**

** "Well how do you know I didn't pick the name?" Jazz asked.**

** "Because." Richie laughed. "We are not calling it Glockenspiel!"**

** "Hey that is a perfectly good name. I still think Addy should consider it for the new baby." Jazz was a bit defensive. Just then Richie and Jackie's bracelets buzzed again.**

** _Hey what is taking you two so long? We are waiting on you! Everyone is ready._**

** "Well we have to get going. Homework you know." Richie said.**

** "Okay you two. See you in class tomorrow." Jazz hugged the two kids and told them to give the twins a hug for him.**

** Jackie and Richie entered the Gryffindor common room. Sky and Alex were sitting on the floor in front of the fire. Cade and Melody, were sitting across the coffee table on the sofa. Their books were scattered across the small table, Sky and Alex were busy working on their Defense Against the Dark Arts assignment. Cade and Melody were deep in conversation. Alex looked up from her parchment. **

** "What took you two so long? Sky and I are nearly done with this one." She was smiling at them. "Cade let us use his text book. "It is amazing how fast things go when you have the complete information!" **

** "So did you get the message from Callen?" Cade asked. By his tone Jackie and Richie could tell he wasn't pleased with the news.**

** "If that dog hurt our Bella!" Melody couldn't finish the thought. She was too upset.**

** "Don't worry Mel. Bella will be fine. The adults won't let anything bad happen to her." Richie reassured her as he sat down on the sofa. "Isn't that right Jackie?" **

** "Yes, Richie is right. Bella will be fine." Jackie really didn't care much for the cat, but she knew the twins loved her. "I am sure that Aunt Harm has her calmed down and in a safe place." Jackie dropped her bag by the overstuffed chair and plopped down in it. "If it makes you feel better I will message Callen and find out."**

** "Please do." Melody asked sweetly. Jackie touched her bracelet. Quickly it buzzed again.**

** "Callen says not to worry. Bella is safe, and harm has come to her." Jackie smiled at the twins. She could tell they were relieved by the news. "So let's get to work. It is going to be a long night, and I would like to take a nap before we go to Astronomy." **

** They all worked busily on their homework and helping Alex and Sky when needed. Jackie and Richie had finished most of their assignments in class. Richie helped the others, as Jackie checked over all the work when they finished. She was surprised at how well Alex and Sky had done. For being new to the world of magic, they had a great understanding of it. At nine o'clock Jackie packed her things back in her bag.**

** "I am going to get some sleep. I want to be wide awake for class tonight. I will be down here at eleven if anyone wants to walk with me to the tower."**

** "Good night Jackie. And thanks for all the help." Sky smiled at her. **

** "Yes, thanks a bunch." Alex waved at her.**

** "Don't mention it." Jackie took her bag and disappeared up the Gryffindor girl's stair case.**

** Jackie came down the stairs at five minutes till eleven. Richie was sitting on the sofa with Cade and Melody. She looked around; there were no signs of Alex and Sky. She sat in the overstuffed chair. **

** "Are Sky and Alex going to walk with us tonight?" Jackie asked. **

** "They said they would meet us there. They had something to do." Richie yawned. **

** "Did you get any sleep?" Jackie asked.**

** "A little." He looked over at her, rubbing his eyes. **

** "Well, let's get moving. We don't want to be late."**

** "Jackie, it's only eleven. We don't have to be there until midnight." Cade and Melody chimed in together.**

** "Well there is nothing like a good walk to wake you all up. Plus there is nothing wrong with being a little early." Jackie smiled at them. The three just moaned and got to their feet. Jackie led the way. **

** They had taken the long way to the tower. Keeping their voices low, as to not disturb anyone. As they passed the one of the bathrooms, they heard familiar voices. Jackie swore she smelled smoke. The door squeaked as Jackie pushed it open. Richie was right behind her. Cade and Melody stayed in the hallway to keep watch. The smell of cigarette smoke filled the bathroom. Jackie and Richie could hear the two voices clearly now. It was Sky and Alex. As Richie and Jackie rounded the corner, Jackie cleared her throat. Sky almost jumped out of his skin, he dropped the cigarette on his robes. Quickly he jumped up and started patting out the burning ember. Alex laughed at him as he jumped around, trying to avoid being burned.**

** "What do you two think you are doing?" Jackie was cross. **

** "Oh, um well..." Sky stammered. **

** "We were just caching a smoke before class." Alex was calm.**

** "You do know that smoking isn't allowed here at Hogwarts, well that kind of smoking anyway," Richie crossed his arms in front of his chest.**

** "Why do you think we were hiding here in the bathroom? Of course we know." Alex replied. **

** "You aren't going to tattle on us are you?" Sky said nervously. Jackie thought about it for a few moments. **

** "Not if you promise to never do it again. It is disgusting and very bad for you." Jackie looked at them.**

** "Fine. We won't do it again. Besides that was our last one." Alex grabbed her things and headed for the door.**

** Atop the Astronomy tower there was a huge commotion. As the group topped the stairs, two boys turned and pointed.**

"**There they are Professor!" The boys shouted it unison. "Alex Parker and Skylar Todd. It has to be them we saw them smoking in one of the boys bathrooms last week." Sky and Alex were frozen, like deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. Melody and Cade ran over the edge to see what everyone was yelling about. The smoke was billowing up from one of the Herbology sheds. Flames were licking up the outer walls and slowly engulfing the structure. Richie and Jackie were making their way over to see what the boys were going on about. **

**Devon and Damien Station were brothers, both in Slytherin. And for good reason. Their family was one of the few remaining that still held on to the belief that muggle born or "mudbloods" had no business at Hogwarts, or anywhere in the wizarding community. Their father had been in trouble many times with the ministry for a variety of things, mostly dealing with the dark arts. Richie's parents had taken him in a number of times. The boys seem to be following in his footsteps rather quickly. Jackie's dad had been called in deal with them. Jackie, Richie and the twins had been warned to avoid them as much as they could. **

"**You two, is this true?" the professor shouted at them. Sky started to shake. Richie could see the fear taking him over. **

"**Yes Professor, we were smoking in the bathroom, but..." Alex was cut off.**

"**See, it was THEM! They admit it." Devon shouted. The wicked smile he shot at Alex made her skin crawl.**

"**Professor I didn't fini..." Again Alex was not given the chance to defend herself.**

"**Don't try to worm your way out of this, you filthy low life Mudblood." Damien chimed it. **

"**She has every right to defend herself from false accusation." Jackie shouted as she turned her attention to the boys. "I am sure you two would agree with that! Or should I remind you?" The boys tried to stare her down, but Jackie would not bend. Sky was amazed by her courage. Richie stood by Jackie. **

"**I think they may need a little reminding, if not of their own actions, maybe of that of their fathers!" Richie snapped. **

"**Now, now students." The professor started in. "These are serious accusations. Destruction of Hogwarts property, in this manner is punishable by expulsion. Jacordia and Richard, please escort these two to the Head Mistress's office. You two seem to have a vested interest in this matter." Just as the professor finished, Alex looked at Jackie and Richie. A sad smile crossed her face. She reached for Sky's arm. With speed they had never seen before, Alex and Sky vanished down the stairwell.**

Chapter 3

Evil things

His heart raced as he jumped down the flights of stairs, often taking several at a time. Richie could hear Jackie hot on his tail but Alex and Sky were outdistancing them easily.

"Stop! You're only going to make it worse!" Jackie tried to scream at the two fugitives but they had already sprinted down the hall and out of sight. With a lurch to his stomach, Richie knew where they were headed: The Forbidden Forest.

The two chased after Alex and Sky, out the door and down the sharp slope and into the dark night. There was no moon out yet to give an extra boost to see where they were running. He felt a hand barely touch his shoulder. It was Jackie trying to slow him down.

He turned slightly to see her as he slowed down to let her catch up. She was also breathing hard, out of breath as he was. When she gulped a few more lungfuls of air, she pulled out her wand and gasped "luminos." Instantly her wand shot out a beam of light that shone through the surrounding darkness. He grabbed his own wand and did the same.

He looked around and realized just how close they were to the forest. The trees loomed ahead in the night, tall and frightening. He had seen the two enter and looked around for their footsteps in the soft dirt. It had rained a little a few hours earlier so their footprints were still evident.

Richie had finally caught enough breath to speak a little. "We have to go after them. They don't know the stuff that is in there."

Jackie nodded and watched as he touched his bracelet. He sent the message to all their parents and Mow and Cow as well. He wasn't sure which of the grownups would be awake at this hour but figured anyone who responded would know what to do.

_Alex and Sky, our new friends, are in trouble. They got set up for something they didn't do and were so terrified at going to the Headmistress's office that they ran away instead into the Forbidden Forest. Jackie and I are following them since they grew up in a muggle home and don't fully understand what the dangers are. We need help!_

Richie didn't wait for an answer, instead he took off running, following the trail, and hoping desperately that someone friendly found them before something unfriendly did.

Once they were in the forest, the trees seemed to grow ever closer and claustrophobic. All the kids at the tree house had played in the woods behind the house, so it wasn't like he was afraid of the dark. But these woods held hidden horrors that their safe woods never saw.

Jackie and Richie were sprinting along, going as fast as they felt they could but not so fast that they failed to see the crest of the dirt mound. The far side had slid away and Richie could see where Alex and Sky had rolled down into the ditch having failed to see their way in the dark. Richie knew they had lighters with them for their cigarettes, but in these woods it was not even close to enough light to see by. But Richie was impressed at how far they had managed to go in such a short time. Jackie and he were no slouches at running, but those two had outstripped them like they were snails.

But having better light sources would tip the scales as long as they didn't run into anything that they couldn't handle. In his mind he started running through all the known creatures in the forest. He knew there was a huge web of Acromantula, otherwise known as gigantic spiders, which lived in this forest. Richie was terrified that they just may come across a few of those before help arrived.

Up ahead there was a strange howling noise. Another howling voice added itself, and then a third.

"Richie, does that sound like a hellhound to you?" Jackie whispered the sound barely audible. "Over 15 years ago, Hagrid let his pet Fluffy, a hellhound, loose in the forest after it wasn't needed anymore. I read that in Hogwarts, a History. Knowing Hagrid, he probably found it a mate and their three headed pups could still walk this forest."

All the hair stood up on the back of Richie's neck. They stopped and listened in absolute silence, Richie even forgot to breathe. The howls went on for a few more seconds, and then were gone.

His lungs burned and threatened to burst when Richie finally remembered how to exhale again. Then they heard some rustling from behind and his body abruptly forgot how to pump air again. They turned around just in time to see Melody and Cadence come over the small ridge and slip and fumble down the other side into the ditch to stand next to him. Cadence looked like he was going to be sick and Melody had the air about her like she would faint at any moment. They were too out of their own breath to talk.

Richie turned to them. The prints are going that way but I think that was where the howling was coming from."

Melody nodded. "Sounded like a hellhound." She gasped.

"Let me guess, you also read Hogwarts, a History?" Richie asked quietly.

"Yes, of course, haven't you?"

He decided not to answer and instead turned back to the slash marks in the ground where Alex and Sky had landed at the bottom of the ravine and gotten to their feet. The trail led deeper into the woods.

Jackie nodded and the four of them started after them. With four wands lit brightly in the darkness it was easier to make up lost time.

As they came to another ridge and had to climb to the top, Jackie whispered in a hushed voice. "I hope they don't try to hide from us. Do you think they know how to lay a false trail?"

"I don't think so. But who knows. You saw how fast they could rabbit! They had to know coming into the Forbidden Forest was suicidal!"

"They probably figured that we weren't stupid enough to follow them." Jackie said with a grunt as she pulled herself over a large rock and to the rim.

"Well, we sure proved them wrong…" Richie said in a snide voice. He made it over the lip of the ledge and reached down and helped Jackie then the twins up as well.

"I thought those two said they lived with muggles, not as mountain goats." Cadence said as he looked back down from where they came.

Melody opened her mouth to reply but instead they heard a piercing scream tear through the night. Without thinking the four started running as fast as they could, dodging tree limbs, roots, brush and a very startled stag.

They kids ran over another small hill and into another ravine and found Alexis standing over Skylar and staring into the short distance. Richie followed their gaze and his heart seized again. In the rolling fog stood a huge spectral hound. It was terrifying at the very least.

Melody's voice was thin and wobbly. "Is that, a… a… grim?"

"It's a Gytrash."

Richie couldn't tear his eyes off the ghoulish beast to even glance at Jackie.

"A Gytrash. A ghost hound. It is in lots of the folklore of Northern England."

"Jackie, for once I'm so glad you sound like an encyclopedia." Richie whispered back.

"It won't harm us."

"How sure are you on that?"

"Um…"

"You know what, I withdraw the question." Richie said in hushed tones. The large hound finally gathered itself and wandered off into the low fog. Richie let out a sigh of relief and turned to look at Alex and Sky. Sky had his leg twisted in some brush and from the looks of it Alex had tried to help him get out.

With a few more steps, Richie and the others were at Sky's side. Jackie pointed her lit wand inward to the bush while the twins used theirs to search the woods for more trouble.

"Richie," Jackie hissed, "you'd better hurry."

The sharp branches sliced at Richie's skin as he ripped and kicked to get in close enough to free Sky's leg. "I am!"

"No, you don't understand, you really need to hurry! Tonight's the full moon!"

Richie paused for a minute. Then it came to him. Werewolves.

"They never proved that there are werewolves in this forest. No need to-"

There was a sudden howling that seemed awfully close again. Richie couldn't tell if it was a hellhound or the Gytrash again. He didn't want to stick around to find out.

"WEREWOLVES! Those things from the movies?" Alex gasped.

"Yes. Werewolves and vampires are real. So are forest trolls. And this forest happens to have trolls for sure, but unknown about the werewolves and vampires. I don't want to find out though." Jackie snapped, Richie could tell she was angry at being so frightened.

The air took a turn for the worst. The cold seemed to seep into their bones and take away their very want for life. Richie realized that suddenly he could see his breath.

Fear gripped his heart. He had heard his mom and dad discussing how several of Voldemort's dementors had never been brought back under control.

Alex's voice quivered. "Why is it suddenly getting cold?"

Richie could tell that Jackie was exchanging looks with the twins. Her voice was clear but unsteady.

"Dementors."

"Those ghostly things that are supposed to be in charge of the prisons?" Sky's voice was high pitched.

"Yes, but as I understand it, there are several that are rouge. But why would one be here? How would they have known we were here?" Cad was trying to get a firm grip on his voice but it kept skewing off.

Richie was shaking from effort and fear. He glanced down at his bracelet and noticed a message on its face. He couldn't tell how long it had been there.

It was his mother's writing._ We are in the forest now, where are you? Light a fire or send up a flare._

He looked from his bracelet to Jackie who just realized hers had the same message. Richie took back out his wand and lit the bush on fire just as Jackie sent up red sparks into the air.

The bush burst into licking flames. Since Richie had aimed his wand at the roots in the center of the brush, Sky's leg was instantly let go and he pushed on his hands and knees to get away before it grabbed him again.

The fire was warm for a few moments, but even its heat started to diminish. Richie shook with terror as he though he heard the ragged breath of a dementor.

"I suppose we aren't lucky enough to have it be a simple boggart…" Melody whimpered, her wand up searching the trees and bushes for the creature.

"And I was worried about the Acromantula's living here in the forest." Richie shuddered.

"What are they?" Alex practically squeaked, her throat clenched in rising terror.

"Giant spiders as large as cars. Or bigger."

Jackie hissed beside Richie who had extracted himself from the burning bush. "Not helping."

"Okay," Cadence whispered. "Anyone able to make a patronus?"

Both Jackie and Richie shook their heads.

"What is a patronus?" Sky asked, staring into the darkness.

"Oh, the only thing that can get rid of a dementor." Cad answered in a morbid tone.

"Mom and Dad are on their way. They'll get here before-"

A dark shadow slunk along the ground on the far side of the bush, weaving in and out of the trees. Richie couldn't ever remember seeing a dementor before. As it rose up higher as it slid closer to them, he suddenly wished he'd never see one again. All the happiness he had ever felt seemed to be sucked out of his body. He felt like he wanted to die. He was frozen on the spot, unable to move.

From behind the six children two specks of light grew brighter. Within seconds the light resolved into silvery forms. The silvery dragon crested the burning bush on the right, and a huge slivery wolf on the left. The forms encircled the group of children forcing the dementor to hiss and back away, floating off again into the shadows of the trees.

Alex and Sky stumbled back into the middle of the other four, fearful of the ghostly creatures. Sky looked up at Richie and had a look of utter confusion.

"That," Richie said proudly, "would be patronus. The dragon is mom's and the Timber Wolf is dad's." He turned and looked to where the forms had come from and his heart sang in delight as he saw his parents running from between the trees towards them.

"Richie, Jackie, Cadence and Melody." Dia said as they got close enough to recognize them all. "Glad to see you are all still alive." Richie could hear the relief in her voice. "Sorry we didn't get here sooner. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate spiders?" She said smiling in an obvious effort to put the kids at ease.

"Oh just a few million times." His father replied, also smiling at them all. "I'm sure you would just be thrilled if one of the kids wanted an Acromantula for a pet."

"I'd probably have a seizure." She replied as she came around the fire and grabbed Richie, pulling him into a hug. Jackie came over and also put her arms around his mother and got a return hug as well. John had rounded the fire on the other side and was immediately hit with the twins slamming into him with relief.

Between the two adults stood Alex and Sky who just looked at them as if they were going to kill them on the spot.

The shapes of the dragon and wolf finally came to a halt nearby. They touched noses as they dissolved into nothingness, leaving the trees dark again.

Dia looked up from Richie's face and spotted the two other children. "And you two must be the new friends Richie spoke about. Are you both okay?"

Alexis and Skylar barely nodded and took a step back and away from the adults. Dia's eyes shot to her husband's and back to the kids.

"Don't be afraid. There's nothing in these woods that John and I can't handle."

The two kids just continued to stare at the adults in trepidation.

"I think they are worried about what you are going to do mom." Richie whispered. She looked down into his dark green eyes, studying him for a moment, and then nodded.

From a few yards away his dad inquired "What are your names?"

When they didn't answer, Jackie responded. "Auntie Dia, Uncle John, this is Alexis Parker and Skylar Todd."

"Pleased to meet you both," he said in a genteel voice, smiling at the kids. He waited for them to respond but they just kept staring at them. John cleared his throat. "So, nice night for a walkabout. But awfully late hour to be about it, don't you think? Someone want to let us in on what's going on?"

The twins, Jackie and Richie all started talking excitedly at once. Finally John put up his hands. "Okay okay, one at a time please? Who wants to go first?" Again the kids all started yelling at once. "Hold on, hold on!" He yelled over the ruckus. Alexis and Skylar jumped at the sound of his voice.

"John, honey, let me take this." Dia said with a smile. He nodded to her and patted the twins comfortingly on their backs. She took a deep calming breath and let it out slowly, looking at all the children. "Would either of you like to start?" She looked to Alex and Sky who barely shook their heads. "Okay then, Richie, since it was your message that woke us, why don't you start. Then if you left anything out, Jackie, Mel and Cadence can add to it. After that, if Alexis and Skylar would like to clarify or refute, then they can. Sound like a plan?"

Richie nodded. "Well it started out earlier today. You know how we stay out of the way of Devon and Damien Stanton. It doesn't mean we don't see them. And I've noticed they have been shooting glances at Alex and Sky for a while now. We all had lunch together today and I saw those two boys whispering back and forth together, I think they were plotting something.

Anyway, all of us spend the afternoon and most of the evening together studying. We decided to gather and walk together to Astronomy at 11 pm tonight. Alex and Sky had left just a few minutes before us and we found them smoking in a bathroom."

His mom was listening intently to the story and didn't look over at either Alex or Sky, but Richie knew she didn't approve of them smoking. Her face barely twitched but she nodded for him to continue.

"Well, we told them we don't like that and they said it was the last of the cigarettes they had anyway. So we all walked up to the tower together and when we got there the Stanton boys were yelling that Alex and Sky had done something. One of the Herbology sheds was on fire and Devon and Damien were pointing to Alex and Sky saying they did it. But that's impossible! They were with us all day! We sat by them in Herbology and I know they NEVER went to that shed. And since they were with us studying they couldn't have done it then. After studying and before Astronomy, we took naps but Sky never left our room until right before 11, and they didn't have time to get all the way down there and back up to smoke in the bathroom where we found them minutes later. I think the Stanton's knew they liked to leave and take a smoke and figured they could set them up. But they had no idea we had become friends with them and could vouch for where they were at all times."

He stopped, not sure what else to say. His mom's bright green eyes looked over to Jackie who was nodding her head. "Yeah, Alex was also taking a nap with at the same time we were. I know because, um, well…" she faltered and glanced over at Alex. "I know because I could hear her crying in her bed for a little while. And she was very restless. I think she woke from a nightmare too." Jackie said quietly.

Dia's gaze fell on the twins who nodded quietly, agreeing with what Jackie had said as well. When she finally gazed over to Alex and Sky, they couldn't meet her eyes. They had both slowly been putting distance between them and the new grownups, darting fearful glances in both of their directions.

"Alex," Dia said softly in the firelight, "don't be upset about how you feel. I know a thing or two about being upset and having nightmares, trust me." She smiled a little at the two but they still didn't return it. Her voice took a more firm edge. "Now tell me, have you both had run-ins with the Stanton boys so far this year?"

Slowly the two nodded. Alexis cleared her throat. "The first day after we were sorted by the hat they stopped us in the hallway right out of the main room and asked us if it was true we were from muggle families. When we nodded, they called us Mudbloods which later on we found out was a wizard swear word of sorts. They have harassed us in small ways here and there. It's one of the reasons we keep to ourselves, no one seemed to care about it."

"My guess," John's voice was soft but clear in the night air, "was that anyone else that saw the harassment were Slytherins or afraid of the Stantons. They are from a nasty, vindictive family. It was no fault of your own, you know that right?" Alex stared at John for several seconds.

"They never did anything in front of any of us dad, mom." Richie cut into the silence. "I'm sure it's because they knew we'd tell you. If we had seen anything we would have done something about it. But I am sorry we weren't watching out better for our fellow Gryffindors. We kinda stayed in our own little world."

He felt his moms hand rub the back of his head, playing with his black hair. Richie secretly liked it when she did that. It was strangely comforting.

"Auntie Dia," Melody's voice was getting stronger, "is Alex and Sky going to be expelled? They didn't do it!"

"That will be up to the review board. Their parents will need to be contacted because they will have to be there as well. But with your testimony, I can't see that happening." Dia responded, then noticed Alex's face fall and Sky putting his arm around her shoulders as if they had just lost. Richie saw her exchange a look with John before speaking again. "Alexis, Skylar, what's wrong?"

"Our parents won't go to any review board. They don't like government or anything that smacks of authority. Or wizards…" Alex replied quietly.

"I'm sure if we went to talk to them, they'd change their minds." John said in a comforting voice. "My wife is very persuasive when she has her mind set to something." He said with a wink to Dia.

"No, it doesn't matter. They won't care. They never believe us anyway." Sky murmured.

"They will if we all show up and tell them in person." Dia responded.

Alex and Sky's faces showed their doubts about that but seemed to look a little better for them all willing to help them out.

"I think that is an interesting idea Dia. We going to all show up on their doorstep first thing in the morning?" John said with a smile that was clearly meant to get the children's hopes up.

"I think there is no time like the present." She said definitively. He gave her a questioning look. She smiled back. "The less school the kids miss the better. And you remember how fast gossip spreads at Hogwarts? We need to get everything in a row and be standing on the Ministry's doorstep as they show up for work. The faster they are exonerated the better. Before Mr. Stanton can get in there and stir things up. This is just the sort of thing he'd be on the lookout for."

John thought for a second. "Agreed." He glanced over all the children. "Looks like a late night road trip kids. You up for it?"

Richie, Jackie and the twins all beamed at John and nodded their heads. Alex and Sky were still hesitant.

"How we going to get there dad?" Richie asked.

"We'll dissapperate the lot of ya with us. We are far enough away from the school grounds to do that now. And I suggest we do it sooner than later before the Acromantula decide we all look tasty enough to try and take us on." He replied with a smile at his wife.

"Okay, where do you two live? Close by each other? Or far away? John can take one of you and I can take the other and hit both houses at the same time. There are enough witnesses to go around anyway." Dia asked.

"Well," Sky's light eyes fell to the ground, "my mom moved in with Alex's parents I believe. We were being evicted and, well, um…"

"Well that makes it easier. Catch them all at the same time. I like it." John said with an air of whimsy in his voice, trying to lighten everyone's mood. "Besides, I just hate being away from my wife anyhow." His eyes went to hers, and Richie could tell the hint of mischief in them. "You never know what could happen, what trouble might arise, what doughnuts may be in danger…"

"What man is going to sleep on the couch for the rest of the night…" she added with mirth in her voice.

"And in conclusion, I just hate to be away from my beautiful, lovable, _forgiving_ wife for even a moment." John winked at Richard who was grinning.

"Jackie," Dia tilted her head down, "can you go over and wrap your arms around John? He'll take you and the twins." Jackie nodded and walked over and held on to John. "Alexis, Skylar," she called to them and Richie saw them visibly twitch, "please come here and take my hands. Don't let go till we arrive."

Richie could have sworn by the dying firelight that both of the kids' faces drained of all color, but they did as they were told. Carefully they took her hands and Richie put his arms around his mother's waist again.

"What's your address Alexis?" Dia asked with a reassuring squeeze to her hand.

"On Fyfield Road in Brixton, London." Alex almost whispered.

The last of the fire died out in the bush next to them landing the group in near pitch black but Richie still saw the alarm that crossed his dad's face at the mention of the address. His eyes snapped to his wife's.

The night air started filling with the same terrifying sounds as it had before the fire was started. There were some snaps and clicks off to the far right of their group.

With a controlled firm voice, his mother spoke. "Let's be about it." A second later the forest was gone.

They apperated into a darkened street on the outskirts of London. Richie let go of his mother's waist as he looked around, still standing close next to her. The litter in the street blew down the road and onto a sidewalk where a barely working streetlamp dimly lit the building it stood in front of. The next light down didn't work at all. Richie could feel his mother tense up as she surveyed the area. She still held onto the hands of Alexis and Skylar, but it was more in a protective way then worrying they would run off.

Richie looked over at where his father apperated holding onto one hand of each of the twins and Jackie's arms wrapped around his middle. But unlike Richie, she looked around first and didn't let him go. Richie saw his father rubbing the backs of their hands with his thumbs. He knew his dad also wasn't happy about the neighborhood they had all just landed in.

"Which building do you live in Alexis?" Dia asked in a firm but caring voice.

Alex raised her arm and pointed to the run down apartments next to the dimly lit building. The windows were covered with bars and heavy shades. Richie shivered a small bit just thinking of what it must be like to be trapped in there if there was a crisis. Trapped like a caged animal.

"Alright then. Last chance for the rest of you. John can take you home and we'll make sure you get back to school in the morning. You don't have to be here for this." Dia said to everyone while she scanned the block for trouble.

"No, we need to be here," Jackie said in a small voice. She cleared her throat and spoke a little firmer. "We know they were set up. So we should be here to tell their parents so that they will believe them." She looked up at John. "And besides, strength in numbers, right Uncle John."

He looked down at her and smiled, trying to reassure her. "Well it will be a whole lot easier to see trouble coming with so many eyes being vigilant, that's for sure."

"You all sure? There isn't any shame or anything in wanting to go home. No one will think any less of you. It doesn't take all of you to deliver a message." Dia looked over at all the kids.

"We're sure mom." Richie tried to say with as much bravery as he could muster. She looked over at the twins and they both nodded but never dropped John's hands.

"Well then, let's be about it, shall we?" She looked down at Alexis and then over to Skylar. They both looked back at her with trepidation and no small amount of fear. "Don't worry. I'm sure your parents will understand. With this many people defending you, how can they not? And what a treat they will get to see you both again."

"I don't think they will be very happy about us coming home Mrs. McPherson. They were awfully relieved to see us go." Alexis said in a quiet voice.

Richard wanted to tell them all that they should just all go to their home and sort it out in the morning. He thought he saw someone staring at them from the shadows from between the buildings but couldn't be sure.

"When the wizard showed up to help us understand the school, our parents thought bad of him. All the strange things that happened when we were around scared them." Skylar added. "My mom asked if we were going to be gone for good, asked the wizard if the school would keep us."

Richard watched as Dia exchanged looks with John. "You don't think this was the family Billy went to see, do you?"

"I can ask him if you want." John spoke.

"No, I guess it really doesn't matter. We'll be at the bottom of this soon enough." Dia replied and started walking over to the apartment building. "Come on everyone, up the steps. Alexis, Skylar, you better go in first so they aren't scared about strangers showing up on their doorstep after midnight. I'm afraid we'll have to get them out of bed at such a terrible hour."

"They will probably still be up. But…" Alexis trailed off.

"Yes?" Dia prompted lightly when the girl didn't resume talking. John and the twins followed right behind them up the steps to the locked double doors.

"Well ma'am, they will most likely be, um, drunk and stoned." Skylar finished for Alexis.

"I see." Dia said thoughtfully. She glanced back at John who squeezed the twins' hands and then let them go and drew out his wand, nodding for the others to do the same. Jackie was standing beside Richard who was in between his parents. The two of them followed suit.

They all stepped up to the bars that encased the entry doors to the rundown apartment building. Dia finally let go of Alex and Sky's hands but didn't draw her own wand, nor did the two kids. John stepped around the others and stood shoulder to shoulder with his wife but facing the opposite direction. As he looked back over the shadowy street he whispered to Dia.

"Are you sure they should all see this? I'm hazarding a guess that it won't be pleasant."

"Life isn't always pleasant hon. They can't stay sheltered for too long. And it is their friends. Did you listen when you were told to stay away from me and my past? Would you have rather never come over to whatever place I was living when I couldn't go to the tree house because it often wasn't pleasant?"

"No, I suppose not." His eyes met hers and for a moment Richard knew there was an unspoken conversation going on between them.

Quickly the moment was gone and Dia looked down at Alexis. "Do you have the key to the door?"

"No, ma'am. They kept our keys." She replied with barely any sound to her voice.

"No worries then," she said and turned her head to nod at John.

His wand did a little swish next to the handle and suddenly the door popped open with a click.

"In we all go." He had a slight reassuring smile. Dia was right behind Alex and Sky while John brought up the very rear, watching over his shoulder for anything suspicious.

They walked quietly as they could up the stairwell to the second floor. Richard was appalled at the state of disrepair the dwelling was in. The walls were filthy, some of the stairs were cracked and broken, there was electrical wires sticking out of badly repaired lights some of which worked and most of them didn't. He had to step very carefully so as not to make the steps squeak or get his school robe caught on anything.

He really couldn't begin to understand the smell. There was mold and mildew stench mixed in with the reek off unwashed bodies, feces and urine. And there were other unpleasant odors he couldn't begin to guess at. He tried to breath but it was overwhelming his nose. His free hand came up and covered his face, trying to block out some of the disgusting stink.

"Try not to breathe in from your nose son, only your mouth. It will help." His father said quietly. Richard noticed Jackie and the twins following his dad's suggestion as well.

When they reached the far end of a weakly lit hallway Alexis pointed to a door with the number 29 on it. "That's our apartment."

There was light seeping out from underneath the door and Richie smelled some kind of strange smoke. It somewhat resembled the cigarettes he had caught Alex and Sky smoking, but this odor was somehow different. Again Dia and John exchanged unspoken words and his father lifted his wand and cast another silent spell on the group this time. Richard looked up, wondering what spell he was performing. His dad caught his eye.

"I'm placing a protection spell against the effects of whatever they are doing in there. The smoke or any other drugs will no longer get breathed in nor land on any of our clothes.

"I wish I knew that spell," Alexis said under her breath.

John looked at her. "I can teach you sometime if you want."

Alexis glanced over at him and Richard could tell she was judging his words, trying to figure out if he meant it, was toying with her, or what he may want back in return.

When she didn't reply to him he added, "It's not too hard of a spell and it comes in dead useful around a fire pit."

"A fire pit?" She repeated.

"Yeah, you know, like when you go camping. It makes it easier to roast marshmallows or hotdogs without dying of smoke inhalation."

"We've never been camping." She said in a way that make it sound like it was a silly thing to go do.

"Never been camping?" It was John's turn to repeat. "Never slept outside under the glorious stars?"

Sky answered instead. "We've been thrown out of the house on many occasions. We just slept back in the alley or maybe on a bench in one of the nicer parks. Would that be considered camping?"

"No, not really." John answered. "Well it is getting too far into the fall for a good camping trip, but maybe come spring break your parents will let you go with us."

"Why would you want to go sleep on the ground if you don't have to?" Alex asked with a slight sneer.

Dia smiled and met Alex's dark eyes. "You sound like me when we first went camping. I didn't see why we needed to go either; the tree house had everything I thought we needed. But it can be a lot of fun. You know what they say, don't knock it till you try it."

The darker skinned girl just shrugged and turned back to the door. Richard could see that she was trying to show she didn't care about anything when in fact it was obvious she was afraid of her own home.

Dia reached out a hand and squeezed the girl's shoulder then reached up and lightly knocked on the door, trying not to wake up the neighbors.

There was a bunch of startled noises and tense voices speaking in hushed tones. Stuff was being hastily moved around then finally there were footsteps that came up to the door.

"Who's out there?" A woman's voice demanded.

"It's me mom," Skylar answered.

"I doubt it," the woman's voice sneered, "my son's gone away to some creepy school far far away. So who are you really?"

Alexis spoke up. "It's true Mrs. Todd. I'm here too."

Someone else ran up behind the door. "Alexis? What are you two doing here? Why did you come back?"

"We need to talk to you. Something happened at the school." She answered.

There was whispering from the other side of the door. After a few moments Alex's mom spoke again. "You need to fix whatever it was that you did and go back. There isn't room for you here anymore."

Richie looked up at his mom. Her jaw was set and she was barely covering the anger on her face. "Mrs. Todd and Mrs. Parker, my name is Mrs. Jacordia McPherson. I'm here with my husband John McPherson and the children who were a witness to the incident. We have come a long ways to talk to you so can you be so polite as to open the door so we may talk to you face to face?"

Someone behind the door gasped and went running off. Another heavier set of footfalls approached the door. A man's voice spoke next. "Are you witches too?"

"Well sir, I really would suggest that you open the door so we may speak about this in private." Dia's voice was firm and commanding but growing louder with each exchange.

"Can't you just wave a stick and open it yourself?" He sneered in an awful tone.

"Yes I can." Dia bit off every word. "But I think it would be better for the children if we could do this the civilized way."

After some more discussion on the far side of the door, the locks finally were clicking out of their sockets and the door creaked open. A man's face poked out of the crack and he eyed them all with extreme suspicion.

"Sir," Dia snapped a little more harshly, "will you stop with these games and let us come in. It is late and this needs to be resolved."

The dark haired man narrowed his eyes at her and finally let the door swing open. He stood there glaring at Dia. He was her same height and was in a filthy stained sleeveless shirt and boxer shorts that appeared to have last been washed at the beginning of time. He had a deep tan on his arms, face and neck, but the parts of his hairy body that protruded from under the clothing were white and sallow. His unkempt hair and mustache were black but did nothing to improve his appearance. His bloodshot eyes spoke volumes. He didn't greet them but instead turned his back on them and walked back into the main room.

Richard couldn't keep from staring at all the man's tattoo's. He had seen lots of men and women with beautiful drawings tattooed on their bodies, but this man had ones that were depicting different types of torture and devices. They gave the man the impression he wasn't to be messed with. Richard looked at his mother and knew she wasn't intimidated by the man in the least.

The two other women were also in states of undress. The very dark skinned woman that Richard immediately guessed was Alex's mom was in a dark blue tank top and cut off jean shorts and nothing else, and sat down on what was left of an overstuffed chair that was now partly gutted and from the looks of it had been caught on fire at least once. Her hair was to her shoulders but it was unwashed and stringy and she held a beer can in her hand, drinking from it like her life depended on it. Richie could imagine that at one time the woman would have been considered beautiful, but time and drugs had taken its toll on her body. She was rail thin just like Alex and Sky had been when they arrived at Hogwarts.

The other woman, who Richie assumed was Sky's mom was in a halter top and panties. She sat there on the ripped up couch and was smoking a cigarette, staring at the group with a mixture of fear and nervousness. There was a mirror on the coffee table that she would glance at often. Richard had no idea why the mirror bothered the woman so much. There were ash trays all over the room that overflowed with cigarette butts.

The man stood slightly off to the side of the women by a table with his arms crossed and glaring at the group of newcomers. "So tell us why you all have come and then leave. We don't want your kind here."

John had come to stand to the far side of the group with Alex and Sky between him and Dia, with the rest of the children slightly behind them. Richard grabbed his wand tighter in his fist and ran though his head a list of spells he knew how to use if anything went wrong.

"As I said before, there was an incident at the school. Someone set up your children to get into trouble and expelled. These other children here are their friends and they know the accusations are false. When your children were sent to the Headmistress's office they instead ran into the Forbidden Forest. We were called up to find them and retrieve them. We have done so and brought them here because their parents or guardians will need to be called to resolve this issue. Having no formal standing with the Ministry of Magic-"

"Ministry of what?" The man shouted out making the two women flinch, "don't bring this nonsense into my house. Get out. All of you."

Dia narrowed her eyes at the man. "Telling us to go away doesn't solve the issue at hand. We need-"

"I don't give a rat's ass what you need. Now get out of here and take them," his head nodded at Alex and Sky, "with you. We don't want any devil worshippers in our house."

"Devil worshippers!" John exclaimed. "I'm sure the wizard that came here to explain-"

The mustached man cut him off as well with his shouting. "I don't care who you are. But you take your filthy hag of a wife-"

"There's no need for name calling Mr." John shouted back. Richard couldn't follow what was being said over the two men who were now yelling at each other.

Alexis looked over at her mom and reached out a hand. "Mom, I-"

The woman shrieked and coward away from her daughter, throwing the drink in her direction. Dia's wand was out and the can went flying off to rebound harmlessly against the wall.

The two men stopped shouting and Alex's father stepped backwards to a table strewn with papers and dishes.

Mrs. Parker was shivering in fear. "Get away from me you evil demon! I can see the mark of the devil upon you and him!" She pointed at Sky who flinched. "You are the devil the lot of you and it is your faults that we live like this. If you hadn't been the spawn of the devil then your father would have never been hurt on the job and we would be living in a real house! You are a curse to us!"

"I would suggest you stop doing drugs and clean up and get real jobs." Dia sneered at the woman. "Stop blaming your children for your bad choices."

"Nikki is right," Sky's mother exclaimed, suddenly coming to life, "when I got pregnant with him, my boyfriend left me. I should have realized then that he was evil. I can see the evil swirling around him now."

"That would be what I'm guessing is cocaine in your system right now. I would hazard to guess you are the one that has the evil inside of you!" Dia hissed back at the woman.

From a side room a man walked out, zipping up his pants. His shirt was undone and he had a ball cap backwards on his head. Overly large boxer shorts stuck out from underneath his low hanging jeans.

"Hey woman," he yelled at Skylar's mother, "where the feck did you go? I paid for the whole night. I'm feeling let down here woman." He turned and realized there were visitors. As he turned Richard saw that his eyes were unfocused and realized there was a slur to his words. "Hey there! Where did you come from?" he said to Dia, looking her up and down. "You the new delivery girl to this crib?" He walked a little closer to her, rubbing his pallid belly and continuing to look at her like she was some tasty treat. "I sure could use a little of what you're sellin."

"Back away from her sir." John's voice was razor sharp. Richard had never heard his father seething with anger.

"Oh, sorry bro, didn't realize her pimp was here." The sleazy man said, just now noticing John and then the kids. "Whoa! You got quite a herd here man! So, you got any good stuff for the party? Bring it!" He laughed and fell down on the couch next to Skylar's mom, grabbing her thigh and trying to suck on her neck and chest.

Sky's mom pushed the guy back off her a ways and pointed to Skylar. "He's the one I was talking about. The one spawned by the devil himself. Look at those eyes, he has no soul."

The man next to her looked over at the boy, squinting at him, trying to see into the boys smoky blue eyes. "Why would you do that to your momma boy? She be good to you. Knows how to please a man to keep food in your mouth. When you gonna start helpin your momma out?"

"That's enough out of all of you people." Dia cut the man off. "No one here is in the league with any demons or devils. It was all explained to you. In fact, having a witch or wizard in your household could be of benefit. For example," Dia pointed at a strange spot on the wall, "your apartment is infested with Bundimuns. It's that greenish fungus with eyes. It could destroy this apartment and the secretions can rot away the very foundation of this building. But done right they make a very good magical cleaning solution. And there," she pointed to a pillow that was on the floor by the couch, "I can tell from here that it has a magical parasite called a Chizpurfle. It is probably living in the feathers of the pillow. Your kids could rid you of these things and more."

"If there is anything infesting this household it is whatever your kind brought in." The man with the mustache sneered. His arm moved and suddenly Richard could see a hand gun pointed at his mother. "Now I said get out, the lot of ya. If I ever see you come around again, I'll fill you full of holes. Let the devil have his minions back." He clicked back the hammer of the gun.

"You are the parents of these children." Dia's voice was livid with anger. "Someone needs to stand up for them during an inquiry. That is your job. Do I make myself clear or do you need a demonstration?"

The man raised the gun higher, only inches from Dia's face.

Her eyes narrowed and she began to change form. The large dragon mouth that appeared snapped the gun into two. Richard knew she could transform, he had seen all the grownups in the house take their other forms every now and then. But he had never seen her do it in anger or rage. As her body started to fill the room, John pulled the kids all back to the door. Dia's snout pushed over the mustache man and she held him under her clawed foot while she snapped at the women. The other man's eyes widened in terror and he wet himself on the spot. Dia growled with her dragon voice. "We are leaving now. I'm taking the children to a safe place for the night. But I will be back. And there will a reckoning. Do I make myself clear?"

The terrified adults shook their heads and Dia backed off, resuming her human form and spelling her clothes back on so that no one saw anything untoward.

John opened the door and ushered the children out into the hallway. Dia joined them shortly and pulled her wand out and waved it around. There was a tickling of air and then she turned to the others.

"Let's be gone." Dia ordered, glaring back at the door, almost lost in her own thoughts.

"But," Alexis tried to speak, but her words largely caught in her throat, "they could come after us."

"No they can't. I sealed them in with a spell. They aren't going anywhere till after I'm done with them." Dia turned and met John's eyes for a moment.

"When _we_ are done with them my love." He spoke softly to her.

She smiled back. "When _we_ are done. Of course." Her tone and posture had gone from hard and ram rod straight to soft and loose within seconds.

"And in the meantime, I think we should head home with the kids. I'm sure everyone could use some serious downtime." John said with a lilt in his voice that Richard knew was for their benefit. "Some good old peace and quiet."

"I thought you said home. We won't get any peace and quiet there." Jackie smirked at John.

He rubbed the back of her head with his hand and shrugged. "You never know. It could be quiet. Miracles do happen. Besides, it's after midnight, how noisy could the house be?"

Chapter 4

Legion of Dynamic Discord

The trees bent slightly and the leaves gently swayed in the light breeze as the two adults apperated with six kids in tow on the sidewalk outside a rather large house. It was a quiet neighborhood well outside the city limits and it stood far from the other houses in the distance. There was a picket fence that had at one time been white, but was now painted with quite an assortment of colors and diagrams. There was a large gate that led down a cement path to the doors. Over it was a sign that proudly proclaimed "Legion of Dynamic Discord" in wrought iron.

Alexis read the sign and wondered what it meant. She had a hold of the tall red headed woman's hand still but she looked up at the dark haired man instead, still unsure of him. He had followed her gaze and smiled at her.

"If you are wondering, this is our home. Since you both come from a muggle home, I'll explain. Each wizarding house has a call name so that when you travel by Floo Network it is easy to find the correct house. Our house is named the Legion of Dynamic Discord because, well, I guess that's a long story. But I'm sure you all are quite tired and need some sleep. It will be an early morning to get you all fed and back to school ontime."

"I thought we couldn't go back." She asked in a small voice. She desperately did want to return to Hogwarts especially since she now knew there was nowhere else to go.

"Leave that to us dear," the woman called Dia said to her with a light squeeze of her hand. "But for now, let's go settle in for the night."

Alexis didn't know what to do or say, so she pressed her lips together and followed the woman through the gate and up the walk towards the large front deck and doors. Plants of every kind were off to each side of the walk. Every now and then she could swear she saw something moving, or small eyes stare back at her. She had never been to a wizarding house and wondered if this was normal or not. The woman had let her hand go as they approached the brightly colored yellow house with white trim. The windows didn't have any bars. Curtains of all random colors and shapes draped across the windows, barely enough to keep onlookers from seeing in.

She could tell this was a house with many kids as there were toys and chalk drawings on every conceivable spot of the deck and several bushes. Alexis wanted to stop and look at a strange hole in the side of the deck but suddenly the air shuddered with a crash and a scream that came from the house. Several more screams and some rumbling sounded from within. The house was now alive with shouts, barking, and what sounded like a small riot to Alex. She was instantly afraid of what might be happening within. Someone was getting murdered.

Only a step behind Alex was the brown haired girl named Jackie. Alex turned her head back to her when she heard the girl make a huge sigh.

"We must be home." The girl said, rolling her eyes.

The woman Dia was the first person to the door. She didn't seem to notice all the shouting and cacophony from inside. The woman took a moment to straighten the sign on the door that read "Welcome to the house of Discordia's Children." She then opened the door.

Alexis looked in cautiously, afraid of what might happen to her. There were people, adults and children alike, running around shouting and screaming at each other. At first she couldn't make out what was the cause of the trouble but then quick as a flash a long haired black cat jumped up ontop of a cabinet, knocking down everything that was sitting on it. The items went crashing to the floor as the cat tried rubbing whatever was on its back off on the lamp. With another loud crash the lamp too fell to its death.

For a moment Alex caught a glimpse of the creature that was astride the cat's back. It was a tiny man that looked more like a potato with legs. He had a small beard but was wearing some beautiful long dangly earrings, a small sparkling cowboy hat and little boots with spurs. The little guy was spurring on the cat and whooping and hollering like a bare back bronc rider. A woman with angry flaming hair was chasing the cat trying to catch it.

"Get back here with my earrings!"

The two little girls from earlier in the day were shouting at the little man, egging him on. "Don't hurt Bob!" one shouted.

"Run Bob run!" The other little girl screamed. A large dog jumped onto the back of the couch next to the cabinet and was still barking up a storm. It was wearing a frilly dress that was much too big for it. The dog was a large German Sheppard that looked only a year or two old. It lunged for the cat who hissed and made a jump for it, pulling the cloth from a small table and dumping the plates of food it had onto it to the floor. The dog leapt from the couch to the cabinet then to the top of the table that the cat was now under, the dress getting dragged through some spilt gravy.

"MY DRESS!" Screamed another woman who was trying to catch the dog. Her blond hair was unmistakable. Alex recognized the teacher of Divination, Harmony Whitehorse.

The little red headed girl yelled at the dog. "Colonel! Incoming!"

There was a gasp near to Alexis and suddenly the twins were next to her yelling. "That's Bella! What are you doing to our cat!" and both of the kids took off running into the house.

Bella the black and very angry feline ran under an antique buffet cabinet and tried to climb up the side of a set of shelves but the dog was hot on its tail. The cat tried to switch directions and snagged a painted picture on the wall and sent it flying.

Jackie gasped and ran inside to grab the painting before it was run over by anyone. A smaller set of twins was trying to grab two small puffy little cotton balls with legs that had escaped them, the pink one running under a piano and the other purple one under an overstuffed chair. The cat hissed and spat and leapt through the air and onto the lap of a man sitting in a chair. Alexis recognized him as the wizard who had come to talk with her parents when they got the notice that they were magical children and needed to attend the strange school Hogwarts.

With a start, Alex realized the man was bound and gagged to the chair. The cat's claws dug into his legs as it tried to escape the shaggy dog who also pounced onto his lap after the cat. The older twins tried to grab the cat but she was quicker and slipped under the chair and out a far door, coming back into the front room.

The shrieking was still going on from a highchair next to the tied up man. A small child about two years old was screaming and throwing anything that was in her reach. Another boy around age eight with blond hair still sat at the table but was oblivious to anything going on around him. He had on a huge pair of earphones and dark sunglasses and was rocking out while sitting there playing air guitar.

Dia, John and Richard still stood just outside the door watching the chaos, not in the least startled by the amount of ruckus and rushing of bodies around the front and dining rooms.

Richard looked up at his dad. "So that is the dog Em and Gy found today?" in a very casual voice.

"Yes, the poor thing was abandoned. The girls fell in love with the dog so I didn't think one more pet in this house would matter much."

"Yeah, good call there dad," Richie smiled up at his father. The man John placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and gave it a little squeeze to go with the broad grin he had. Richie craned his head in a little farther and then said, "ohhhh popcorn!" And went inside leaving only Alex and Sky outside with the two adults.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, Alex leaned over to see where Richie had gone. Up on a huge stand sat the Charms professor Mr. Jazz Whitehorse who was eating popcorn and shouting for the dog to run faster. Richie climbed up next to him and sat down, grabbing a handful of popcorn in his fist.

Jazz looked down at Richie. "I've got five dollars on the dog."

Richie looked back up at the man. "You're on."

The cat was making another round through the room with two adult women and the twins hot on its tail. The red headed little girl and her companion were now standing on the back of the couch still yelling and screaming punctuated by giggles.

The cat saw the open door and bolted for it, but Dia put her foot out and warded off its escape attempt.

"I don't think Bella should be outside this late at night," Dia sighed. She looked down at Alex and Sky. "I suppose I should have you meet the rest of the family." She smiled.

As the woman with the blazing fiery hair went running by on yet another lap Dia pointed out to her. "That's Addison Denbrough. Call her Addy for short." The twins ran past next. "Those two you already know along with their mother Harmony. Just call her Harm while you are here, okay?" She said as the Divination teacher went by still trying to catch the dog. One of the smaller twins was able to catch one of the fleeing puffballs that had gotten away, but the other managed to get inside of the baby grand piano that sat in a corner. It took both of the young twins to lift the lid on the piano only to have the cat with the strangely dressed cowboy on its back jump inside.

Plink plink plink the piano's notes hit the air as the animals smashed the strings inside.

"The two little girls over there," Dia pointed to the back of the couch, "I think you met at breakfast this very morning, but the two over there that are the same age are Aria and Jubilee. Someone must have scared their pet Pigmy Puffs quite a bit. Usually they never run off." She said like she was introducing them to a tea party.

"The man tied to the chair I think you met when you learned you were both magical, am I correct?" Dia asked.

"Um, yes. I think he is." Alex answered, unsure of her own voice. "But, um, why is he tied up?"

To their other side John chuckled. "Oh, my guess is Ember and Gypsy didn't want Billy getting into the way or something."

"Most likely." Dia agreed, and then pointed to the baby that was still screeching up a storm. "That is baby Serenity and the boy at the table rocking out to his new sound canceling headphones and video sunglasses is Callen."

John put his hand on Skylar's back. "Don't be afraid. Go on in. We'll find you two a late night snack, okay?" He smiled warmly at the two.

Alex wondered if the man had lost his mind.

Skylar and Alex stepped a foot inside the door but stopped as the parade ran by again. Alex turned with a questioning look on her face to Dia and John but they were looking at each other instead. John stepped up next to his wife and leaned over her, staring intently into her eyes before going in for a passionate kiss.

She wondered if they had both lost their minds. Maybe it ran in the family.

The boy Callen finally noticed the goings on when the cat ran under his chair and the dog tried to follow, knocking over the chair and Callen in it. He looked up and around for a moment his eyes settling on the man tied to the chair next to the screaming baby. He gathered his feet under him and went to the baby and tried to calm her down, giving her bits of apples and pie crust from the pie that was now strewn across the table and parts of the floor. The baby just threw them at anyone passing by, and if there wasn't anyone, she threw them at the man in the chair who was grunting and trying to get Callen's attention.

In the other room, Melody had crawled into the piano and finally retrieved the cat only to find Bella had one of the Pigmy Puffs in its mouth which made the two younger twins start screaming at the tops of their lungs.

Ember and Gypsy had run over and had snatched the little potato man off the cat's back and the angry woman had stuck out her hand and was demanding the earrings back. Harmony had a hold of the dog who was still eyeing the cat. The teacher was trying to remove what once must have been a very pretty ball gown off the large dog while trying to hold onto the beast that kept barking and whining.

The two little girls gave the woman named Addy back the earrings and tried to run off but Addy shouted at them.

"Get back here you two!"

The girls stopped and turned around slowly. The woman approached them, glaring at the girls.

"What's on the crown on his hat?" The woman pointed at the tiny sort of man in Ember's arms.

"It's his tiara. He couldn't be the Rodeo Queen without it!" Ember said back.

"Yeah, Rodeo Queen! And he stayed on for more than eight seconds!" Gypsy beamed. "That makes him a Rodeo Goddess, right Em?"

"Right Gyp!" The little red haired girl nodded back and turned to leave again.

"Stop right there!" Addy yelled again, her arms crossed above her chest. "I'm missing my old necklace that Billy bought me years ago. And that tiara sure looks familiar."

"Well of course it does!" Ember said back.

"Yeah!" Gypsy added. "Uncle Jazz was trying to pick the lock on your diary and used a piece from your necklace. It broke so he threw it away. We found it and figured it could be used again for the tiara!"

"Yeah, we were recycling! That's good for the environment!" Ember shouted.

Addy twisted her head around to glare at Jazz who was suddenly very interested in the shelves next to him, reading book titles. The woman turned back to the little girls who once again had started to sneak off.

"I'm not done with you two yet!"

The girls stopped mid step.

"Why are you two even out of bed anyway!"

"When Bella came into our room, Bob got up and put his hat and boots on and got on her back. We went after him."

"And how were we supposed to know that Colonel wanted to help out too?" Gypsy added.

"Help out! Help out?"

"Yeah, Bella was trying to sneak up and eat Fred and Wilma." Ember pointed to the Pigmy Puffs on the younger twins' shoulders. "Colonel stopped her. Bob was just an opportunist."

"Then why did you tie up Billy Gypsy?"

"Oh, dad was underfoot."

Addy narrowed her eyes at the girls and started to lean down and pull something out of her pocket.

Quickly Alex found herself and Sky rushing over to the two little girls and grabbing them protectively.

"Please don't hurt them! Their just little girls!" Alex yelled at Addison.

The look of shock that crossed Addy's face confused Alexis.

"Hurt them?" She asked, looking at Alex. "Why would I hurt them?"

"Because, they stole things and caused lots of things to get broken. But please don't hit them. They didn't know what they were doing." Alex almost cried.

Addy straightened up and finished pulling out her wand. "I was going to let the girls use my wand to untie Billy and help try to repair some of the damage. Everything here is pretty much fixable. Well," she sighed, "except the apple pie. And the food we left out for Dia, John and you kids."

"It's okay mom," Gypsy said, pulling out a wand, "we've got daddy's wand. We'll help clean up."

"But I'll take that one anyway please?" Ember giggled and reached out for the wand.

Addy shook her head and gave her the wand and the two ran off to untie the man from the chair. As her head shook, her hair turned deep purple. She tilted her head to the side as she looked over the two new kids. It scared Alex.

"It's okay Alexis. No one gets spanked in this household." Dia said, walking over to Addy with John right behind her. As she stopped next to the other woman she smiled at her. John stopped as well and encircled Dia's waist with an arm and kissed her shoulder.

"Well I see Bob found your missing earrings." Dia said to Addy.

"Yeah, I wonder where he found them. They've been missing since last Christmas. I've searched everywhere for them. Even Accio didn't work."

With a kiss to Dia's cheek and a quick squeeze around her middle, John walked over to where Harmony was still trying to undress the barking dog.

"Colonel, sit, stop barking." John commanded him. The dog sat down and was quiet but still eyed the cat. He proceeded to try to help Harmony with the dress.

"I hate to tell you this Harmony, but this gown may be done for." He snickered a little.

"I know. I was hoping to give it to Goodwill though. I wasn't expecting to have it worn by the dog. Bella must have tried to hide in it and when Colonel went after her…" she shrugged and laughed.

"If it's any consolation Harm, you looked much better in the dress at the last Wizarding Ball that the dog did just now." John laughed, finally getting the gown off the dog and tossing it aside.

Alexis looked over at Mow and Cow who were petting the large long haired cat. She thought if looks could kill, the cat would be murdering the dog at this very moment judging by the looks on its face as it glared at the dog. The younger twins were surveying the Pigmy Puffs with Jazz, the Charms teacher, making sure neither of the little fluff balls were hurt.

Jackie had repaired the painting and rehung it and came into the front room followed by Billy. On his heels was Callen holding a sniffling Serenity. The two little girls ran up to him and stopped him from stepping on the broken glass on the floor with his bare feet.

"Oh, thanks girls." He smiled. The both grinned up at him as Ember waved the wand and chanted a spell. The broken lamp jumped back together and sat on the floor like nothing had ever happened to it. Billy reached down, patted Ember on the back and picked up the lamp to put it back on the stand where it had fallen from.

Bob was sitting on the edge of the couch looking depressed. Gypsy noticed him and went over to the tiny little creature. "Awww Bob's upset."

John straightened up and pulled something out of his pocket. "I was saving this till later, but I guess I could give it to you now." He showed the girls the pieces of an old bracelet. It had silver stars and small pearls and the two girls squealed in delight.

"I bet Bob will love this!" Ember shouted.

"Oh, it will be lovely with a new ball gown! He can be beauty AND the beast at the same time!" Gypsy laughed and ran over to John, hugging his waist. "Thanks Warden!"

Ember also ran over to her father and hugged him as well. "Thanks dad!"

"Here, trade me for the wands. And then I'm thinking it would be really nice if all you kids would take our two new friends out to the tree house and showed them around. Someone will bring a snack out for all of you in a few minutes. Okay my little firebug? Scamp?"

"Sure thing Warden." Gypsy smiled. She grabbed the pieces of bracelet and stuffed them into her pocket, gave him the wand, and ran over to grab Skylar's arm, tugging him towards the door at the far end of the room. Ember handed her dad the other wand, ran over and picked up Bob, then turned and stood next to Alex.

"Well come on everybody, we don't have all night!" Ember yelled, and then whistled for the dog. Colonel came right over to the girls, still eyeing the cat. "I don't think Bella should come out to the tree house though. Fred and Wilma will be worried and Colonel will want to chase her."

"No worries," Melody said, "I'm going to put her in my room anyway so she can calm down." With that, Melody and Cadence ran out of the room.

Ember's green eyes followed them, scowling. Finally she turned and looked up at Alexis. "Bella is a stupid cat. All she does is sit around and glare at everyone. And boy does she get pissy if you try to dress her up at all! Stupid cat with a stupid name from a stupid book."

Alexis couldn't help but smile at the little girl.

Ember held up the little guy that was in her arms. "This is Bob. He's a yard gnome but he's smart. He likes shiny things too. What's your name?"

"I'm Alexis, but everyone calls me Alex. My friend here is Skylar, Sky for short."

"Do you like Bob?" Ember asked, her green eyes shining up at her.

"Yes, I like Bob. But shouldn't he be wearing pants?"

"He doesn't like pants. He was wearing a nightgown but I think that came off somewhere down the hallway while he was riding Bella." Ember said.

"Um, okay." Was all Alex could think of to say.

Richie had gone over to his mom and dad and Alex could hear him talking to them.

"Thanks mom, dad, for coming so quickly. I didn't have time to tell you I'm sorry for scaring you so much."

His mom stroked his hair softly. "It's okay sweetie. I'm glad you and Jackie went running after Alex and Sky. It made it easier to find them and you two know more about the dangers that could lurk in the forest. You both did the right thing. You watched out for a friend and you called for backup. Your dad and I are very proud of you both. And even the twins, who could have waited but didn't. That's the kind of bravery Gryffindor's are known for."

"I do have to say though," Addy added, "I about choked several times when I saw the hands of the clock keep swing to 'Imminent Danger' tonight."

Alex looked at Addy who was squeezing Jackie tightly. Billy stood next to her and grinned.

"Hey, my turn! No Boggarting the kid!" Billy laughed and yanked Jackie out of Addy's arms and hugged her hard, making her laugh.

Melody and Cadence came back in the room to hug their parents. Ember had sat Bob on her shoulder and had her arms crossed.

"Enough of this already! Let's go out to the tree house! We've got things to discuss!"

"Yeah!" Gypsy agreed.

"Like what?" Jackie asked Gypsy. The little girl's hair turned the same shade as her mother's hair and then she just shrugged. "Stuff I guess."

Addy laughed. "I'll be out shortly with some snacks." She looked over at Alexis and Skylar. "Anything in particular you two would like?"

"Yeah! Doughnuts!" Ember yelled.

"Cookies!" Gypsy added.

"Wait! Ice cream!" Aria shouted out.

"I wanted some of that pie…" Jubilee whined.

"We will need some baby food I believe..." Callen said, tickling Serenity who was in his arms.

"Vanilla cake?" The twins Mow and Cow said together.

"Hold on a minute there!" Addy yelled above everyone. "I'm not a waitress you know!" She eyed everyone but then started laughing. "And I don't think any of your names are Alex and Sky."

Suddenly Alexis felt the blood rushing to her face. "Um, that's okay, whatever they want is good enough for us."

"It doesn't have to be a desert. Anything you want. What is for favorite bedtime snack?"

"We don't have one ma'am." Sky said softly.

"How about this. I've got a few extra sets of hands on deck here, we'll whip of several different things. Then you can decide for yourself. Sound good?"

"Oh, it's okay ma'am." Alex said, afraid she was stepping out of line. "We don't want to be trouble."

"Well, anymore trouble then we already are, or have been, or…" Sky trailed off, losing his voice.

"It's no trouble at all. I think we all could use a little snack before going to bed to help everyone relax from all the excitement." Addy said with a warm smile.

"Yes ma'am." Skylar said looking down at his feet.

"Call me Addy." She smiled at him but he wouldn't look up.

"Well that settles it!" Ember said "Doughnuts it is. Now let's get a move on people!"

"Yeah!" Gypsy yelled, "Let's do the hustle!"

"I think you mean let's all hustle Gyp." Jackie corrected. She crossed her arms. "Unless you think we are all going to do a dance out to the tree house."

"Why not!" Ember giggled. She started stomping and clapping her hands in a rhythmic pattern. Stomp stomp clap, stomp stomp clap. Gypsy joined in quickly, and then both sets of twins and even Richie joined in smiling. Stomp stomp clap. Stomp stomp Clap!

Jackie rolled her eyes but finally smiled and joined in. Stomp stomp clap. Stomp stomp clap!

All the kids were smiling and a few giggled. Alex looked at Skylar and shrugged, bringing her hands together for the clap. Skylar joined in as well.

Cadence jumped to the doorway. "To the tree house!" Stomp stomp clap! Stomp stomp clap! He started the lyrics as he entered the hallway, followed my his twin sister and the rest of the kids.

"Buddy you're a boy make a big noise

Playin' in the street gonna be a big man some day

You got mud on yo' face

You big disgrace

Kickin' your can all over the place"

All the kids joined in the chorus.

"We will we will rock you

We will we will rock you"

Alex and Sky were bringing up the rear of the processional. Alex saw Ember run back into the room and grab something. She stopped and looked over her shoulder and saw the grownups all standing together talking quietly. John had his arm around his wife again who was talking to the wizard whom she had met first. All the adults seemed to have a worried look on their faces. The teacher Harmony was biting her nails.

Fear struck deep inside her. She was terrified that they would decide to come and get her and Sky and put them in some sort of wizard's jail.

She felt something on her back. She looked down and saw Ember, pushing her around the corner and down the hallway. "Come on Alex! It'll be fun! Don't worry, whatever it is mom and dad will take care of it. Trust me."

Alex wondered about the idea of trusting a six year old little girl.

"I'm not so sure. Why is everyone in this house up anyways?" She asked the little red head that had now grabbed her arm and was hauling her down the hallway and out a back door into a dark forest beyond.

"Oh, well when mommy and daddy got Richie's message they jumped up and were gone in a flash. But it also was sent to Auntie Addy, Uncle Billy, Auntie Harmony and Uncle Jazz. Mommy and daddy left to go find all of you guys and the others went to watch the clock. Auntie Harmony screamed when she saw the hands at 'Imminent Danger' and that woke the rest of us up. The baby started screaming so Callen got up to take care of her. But Bella was sleeping with him and so she snuck in to eat Fred and Wilma. That's when Colonel jumped up and tried to defend the Pigmy Puffs. But Bob had a different idea in his head about the cat. Didn't he have a beautiful ride! I score it a perfect 10! And now we get doughnuts! What a great night!" Ember giggled.

Ahead in the darkness she could see the muted lights from a structure far up in an old tree. The door was open and she saw what looked like the shadows from flames dancing on the walls and ceiling.

"What a night indeed," murmured Alexis as she allowed Ember to haul her by the hand up the stairs and into the tree house.

Flames danced and swirled in the fire pit that Skylar sat near. It was strange to see it in the middle of a room and stranger yet for it to be located inside a huge tree house. But the fire's existence was the least of the weird things that the tree house had to offer.

The walls were covered with drawings, some old, some new. There was ships and swords and a very random assortment of toys strewn everywhere. There were bedrooms and bathrooms and even a full kitchen. Several dead BBQ's littered the back porch and books were stacked along sagging shelves that would sometimes rattle or move. One squat cabinet shuddered and shuffled away from Sky when he went near it. One of the children said it contained a boggart, but having no clue what that meant he decided to steer clear of the small table wearing loafers.

Skylar had never imagined a playroom as crazy as the one he sat in, nor kids as strange as the children he visited with. They would often jump up and chase one another for random or secret reasons, only to fall down again giggling. Sometimes one of them would say a line in a song and everyone would break out into verse. They were often excited to show the newcomers various items that they held in great esteem. The family portrait, like the one that hung in the Gryffindor common room, showed the adults as they had been when they were teenagers, watching over them with friendly smiles.

When Richie had gone to his room to retrieve an old sword of his dad's, the other kids filled in some of the information on the extra person in the portrait. The man named Richard who was Richie's namesake. Sky tried to understand why Richie didn't want to talk to the more animated version of the man, but he really couldn't. So much of this strange family he just didn't grasp. The kids would laugh about something Ember and Gypsy did, but it always ended with "but Dia did worse," or "but you should hear about the time Addy…" and they would be off in another tale. They all had such wonderful, no, magical lives here that he did understand why Richie wouldn't want to leave it.

Skylar was pretty sure Alexis felt the same way he did. They exchanged significant glances. The two of them desperately wished that this was their home as well.

After an hour Jackie had moved away from the fire and had her new drawing book that Ember and Gypsy had reminded John to buy for her. Sky watched her withdraw into the drawing and away from the other children, escaping into her own world. He guessed that if he had that many almost siblings to put up with, he'd probably devise some sort of escape as well.

Alexis sat to Sky's right side and was helping Ember and Gypsy make a new dress for Bob. Ember had snagged the dress the dog had been wearing and thought it would make an excellent Wizard's Ball gown for Bob. Alex was worried that the two little girls would get into trouble for snatching the dress but Ember wasn't worried. She called it recycling since the gown had already been worn once to a fancy ball, once to a chase, and now for Bob. That made it three times useful and that was a good thing. Alex had shrugged off the reasoning and said nothing, fearful that she may be in for reprisals once the nicked dress was found. But the other children seemed to think it was alright and they didn't bother Ember or Gypsy. It seemed the consensus was to let them do and be and everything would sort itself out in time.

The woman Addy had brought the children a huge assortment of snacks and foods for them to eat, and several pitchers of various drinks. The woman still scared both Alex and himself, and they were careful to thank her profusely when asked if the food was alright or if they wished for something else. She gave them both a strange look and patted them nicely on the back for being so sweet, reminding the other children that they should remember to have as good of manners more often. Sky worried that the other kids would be jealous and would start hating them, but several just stuck out their tongues at Addy who smiled and returned the silly look with her own tongue. Then she left again to let the kids 'be themselves' which Skylar also didn't understand. He wasn't sure who else he was supposed to be.

Every now and then one of the bracelets would buzz, and the kid would touch it for a moment and continue what they were doing, or reach over and hit one another, not hard, but playfully. This was how the fifteen minute pillow fight had started. Skylar and Alexis didn't engage in it as they were still too afraid that if they ripped a pillow that they would be punished. Ember told them not to worry, and to prove her point, she ripped a huge hole in her pillow and swung it all around which prompted Gypsy to do the same with her own. The room was filled with floating feathers like some alternate reality snow fall. Jackie just rolled her eyes and touched her bracelet and told Sky not to worry, the pillows would be replaced and no one was in trouble. The worst that was to happen was that Uncle Jazz said he would get them new pillows which made everyone in the room giggle and point to Ember and Gypsy as if there was some kind of hidden meaning there.

Ember had immediately taken a liking to Alex and Sky which meant that Gypsy did too. All the kids had been very friendly and tried their best to answer all their questions even if they seemed silly to them. They all were interested in Alex's and Sky's lives as muggles, but it upset them so much to talk about it that Richie finally said that there was a moratorium on asking Alex or Sky about their past until they were ready to tell it. Callen asked what a moratorium was and Richie brought out one of the many books on the shelf and flipped through it till he found the answer. Sky was impressed at how much these kids all knew. Apparently learning was highly valued in this family. Sky knew he could never measure up and he suddenly felt very lonely in a room filled with kids.

At about three am most of the kids had fallen off to sleep. The younger kids had brought out blankets and curled up by the fire. Alex had worried that they could get burned by sparks, but the safety spells around the pit were explained. The man named Billy had come and collected the baby Serenity stating that Callen needed to get rest as well.

The two girls that kept being referred to as the Trouble Twins fought going to sleep tooth and nail, but in the end they too curled up under a blanket that had a huge dragon and a monstrous wolf on the front and fell asleep with Colonel as their pillow and Bob on a tiny pillow of his own between them. All that was left was the four fellow Gryffindors.

The six of them talked about random things such as why the bathroom sink had a snake living under it (to sometimes clean the pipes with) or how the tree house was so big when it looked so small from outside. They discussed Billy's garden and the difference between it and an ordinary muggle one. Alex inquired about garden gnomes and Bob. Sky was surprised to find out that Bob did like girl gnomes; he just preferred to wear women's clothing instead of the traditional men's outfits. This cross-dressing habit didn't seem to bother anyone and everyone seemed to think it was just the way things were. Skylar had tried to explain to the others that in the muggle world, things like that didn't go over well. The wizard kids seemed to think the muggle world was stupid and short sighted and Sky had to agree.

The room fell quiet again as each kid fell back into their own thoughts. Jackie picked up her drawing quill again but let it slide back out of her fingers when she heard footsteps up the stairs. This was what they all had waited for, to find out what was to become of Alexis and Skylar.

There was a soft knock at the door and it opened slowly to reveal the woman Dia and her husband John. They both smiled warmly at the kids.

"I told you those six would still be up." She twitched an eyebrow at her husband who gave a small laugh.

"I know, I know, but I was hoping they would be asleep since they all have classes tomorrow, and they aren't getting out of them by whining they are all too sleepy." John said as he turned and gave a quick sideways wink to the kids.

Sky's heart beat a little faster.

"All of us?" Richie asked, looking over at Sky and Alex.

"Yes, all of you." John nodded. "The issue over at Hogwarts has been resolved."

"Really?" Alex said barely breathing.

"What can I say," he snuck an arm around his wife's waist, "Dia can be very persuasive when she wakes people up in the middle of the night to chat."

"But," Sky stammered, his heart thundering in his chest, "I thought there had to be some kind of an inquiry or something. And our parents-" Sky's throat got all choked up and he couldn't finish his sentence. He felt suddenly sick.

"Well, we did come with other news." Dia said, looking at all the kids. "It affects this whole household. We convinced-"

"Oh, convinced, that's the word you're going with huh?" John snickered at his wife, earning him a slightly dirty look before she continued.

"WE," she gave him a significant look, "convinced the powers that be to allow us to become your formal guardians," she looked over at Alex and Sky, "that is if you want us. You'll have to put up with a lot of noise and kids and pets running around like their completely off their kettle, but we'd sure like it if you allowed us to call you family. The word family means a great deal to us, so it isn't to be taken lightly."

Sky's heart stopped beating for a second while he tried to understand what he was hearing. He was sure he had heard it all wrong and was afraid he might have missed something.

"But what do the others say?" Alex asked tentatively like she was afraid of the answer.

"Everyone agrees that this is the best course of action." John smiled warmly as him and Dia walked farther into the room. "We've been in contact with everyone from the family via our bracelets. Every adult and every kid said the same thing. Yes, we would love to have Alexis and Skylar as part of our family."

Tears rolled down Alex's cheeks. She tried to say something but the words never made it out of her mouth. Dia knelt down by the girl and laid her hand on hers. "Do you want to be part of our family? It can be a lot of pressure. Some days you'll swear you can't turn a corner without bumping into one of us."

Alex nodded her head yes and started crying full force. Dia pulled the girl into her arms and stroked her hair, letting her sob onto her clean black robes.

John sat down next to Sky and looked at him. "Now it's your turn. I know it's not exactly fair of us to up and ask you to give up your old home and family and be in ours instead. If you want to give it some time and thought, we do understand."

Sky realized his own face was wet and that he, himself, was crying as well. He tried to nod to John but his body gave out on him and he fell forward instead. He could feel the strong hands catch him and pull him in for a hug. Skylar couldn't remember the last time anyone had hugged him and comforted him other than Alex. He knew he was acting like a baby but he didn't care. His heart wanted to explode with joy and sorrow all at the same time. He wanted to be loved and cherished as the kids he had met tonight were. He wanted a place to call home and to be proud of. He wanted someone to care whether he lived or died. And for the first time, Skylar realized he wanted a real father.

As if through a tunnel, Skylar could hear Richie asking a question to his parents softly. "Won't their parents come after them? Do they still have any rights over them, or can we shoot them if they step on our property?"

Sky felt John's gentle chuckle. "No, we don't need to shoot anyone. It is all taken care of. Dia helped explain to them that signing the kids over was for the best and they understood in the end."

"Did mom kill them?" Richie gasped.

"No son, she didn't. Almost, but she didn't." There was amusement in the man's voice.

"But how did you make the trouble at the school go away? The running away into the Forbidden Forest?"

"Actually that was easier than you think. The witches and wizard's that sit on the panel were very eager to go back to bed after your mom pounded on their doors. And we even visited the new Minister of Magic, Hermonie Weasley and her husband Ron. They were actually very understanding of the situation and we had a wonderful cup of tea while we discussed the whole matter. The last thing to do was to inform the Headmistress of everything that had gone on and she was very understanding and was eager to get the matter behind her and Jazz out of her office. So you see, the whole thing is done. We just had to get the okay from the ones who have the final say in the matter. That is Alexis and Skylar themselves. They are ultimately the ones who have to agree to live by our rules and guidelines."

"What family rules," Jackie snorted, "I have never seen anyone live by any rules in this house yet."

"Oh, not true Jackie," John softly admonished, "we all live by the most important rules of all! Stick together no matter what, be truthful and honest and sincere in everything you do and say. And always watch each other's backs, be constantly vigilant. And above all," he said and stroked Skylar's hair a little, "be who you were meant to be. And never be ashamed of it."

"Those aren't rules Uncle John," Melody said from across the fire pit. "Those are just the way life is. How can they be rules?"

"You saw how these two lived before coming to Hogwarts tonight. Do you think their parents live by even one of those rules?"

Skylar could tell Melody was thinking about it. "I guess not. They seemed to have no… what am I looking for…"

"Honor." Cadence supplied for her.

"Good word." John agreed. "Honor above all. Honor yourself, your family, your friends and your world. Leave things better than when you found them. Understand others around you for who they are and why. Live in a way that doesn't make you ashamed to talk about. And when you falter, as everyone does, honor the knowledge that your family is there and will pick you up and carry you till you can walk on your own again. Even when someone hurts you, screams at you and pushes you away, honor their heart by trying to understand why they are doing what they do and help guide them back to the lit path. We all get lost sometimes." Skylar knew that John was looking at his wife. "And that's when we need family the most. To be there when we fall, to stand us up tall, and to love us no matter what we have done. To see past all our petty faults and love the person who deep down just needs to be loved in return and held."

"That can be a lot to put onto a person if they're not ready. That's why we are asking both Alexis and Skylar if they are ready to be a part of this family." Dia said softly.

Skylar lifted his head off John's chest and nodded. "My biggest fear is to never be a part of a family like yours. I'd love to be even a small part if you'll let me."

He looked up, wondering if his own pale colored eyes proved he had so little soul compared to the dark green eyes of John. The man smiled at him and took something out of his pocket. Sky could see that Dia had the same thing in her hand.

"These are bracelets that connect you to our family. If you need anything, have any questions or just need to talk, just press your finger to it and think about what you want to say. The bracelet will hear it and send your words to anyone of us you wish."

Skylar could see that Alexis had lifted her wrist and was receiving a matching bracelet.

"See? Now you are part of something. You are a part of us." Dia said quietly.

"Are we supposed to call you mom and dad or…" Alex tried to say.

"You call us whatever feels right to you. Dad, John…" he started to say but Jackie cut him off with one word.

"Warden." She said, smiling. John chuckled lightly.

"But don't think you are obligated to call us anything in particular. You may find that you are closer to one of the other adults in the family. Everyone calls Addy mom because she takes such good care of us. Don't get stuck on labels. Worry more about working hard to get good grades and pass your classes." Dia said. "Which reminds me, I understand you don't have your own books for your classes, is that correct?"

Skylar nodded along with Alexis.

"Well in the morning before we head back to Hogwarts, grab some of our old books. They aren't brand new but they aren't missing pages. Well," she thought for a second, "some of them are. Be careful of any book that states it belongs to Jazz." She grinned at the kids. "Later on we'll head into Diagon Alley and get you books of your own to destroy."

With another nod, Skylar showed he understood at least a little.

"Well then, I guess that is that." Dia smiled as Alexis let go of her embrace with the mahogany haired woman. "Better be getting at least a little sleep. Tomorrow is another day full of expectation and excitement. And hopefully a whole new world that you will enjoy."

Dia pulled over another blanket and laid it down on top of Alexis, covering her up. She stroked her hair back out of the girl's face and gave her a kiss on the forehead. She then stood up and gathered another old blanket from a corner and walked over to Skylar.

"Sorry I don't have another blanket right on hand. This one is John's blanket from when we were kids. If you don't want to use it tonight, I can run in and get a better one."

Down the corner was a conversation that had been written on the blanket complete with a little burn hole that blotted out one of the words. Sky couldn't help but smile as he read it. He didn't think the blanket looked girly at all.

"No, ma'am, this is just fine. Thank you."

"Get some sleep," she said as John moved back away from him so the woman could tuck the blanket around him. "Morning will come early and rather loudly around here. You'll be thankful for the quiet of Hogwarts soon enough." She kissed him on the forehead as well. Again Sky couldn't remember the last time anyone had done that to him.

John helped Dia stand up and for a moment, she looked around the room, lost in time. Sky remembered that this had been their sanctuary while they grew up as well. And that Dia had a rough life starting out, just as they did. He knew with all his heart that this was where he wanted to call home, just like they had.

As Dia stood still, looking at the old wall drawings and items tacked, stapled, and buried into the walls, John stepped in to hold her tightly against him. She turned and stared into his eyes, her light green eyes catching his dark ones. For a moment they hung there, teetering on the edge of something Skylar couldn't see. The dark haired man leaned in just a little and touched his nose to hers, rubbing them together, their eyes closed and their hands holding one another for support. With his right hand, John raised his arm and his fingers carefully brushed back a lock of her red hair. Skylar wondered if this was what Melody had meant by her Uncle John and Auntie Dia needing each other like the air that they breathed in. He wondered if anyone would ever feel that way about him.

The moment passed and they two grownups opened their eyes and said a final good night to all the kids, making sure everyone was warm and comfortable. Dia glanced over at Richie who was once again staring absently at the painting that said 'Family' in bright letters. Skylar knew he was thinking about his namesake. Dia followed his eye line and Sky saw something pass in front of her eyes, there one moment but lost the next.

"Good night everyone. See you bright and early." John said as they turned and went to the door. For a half a second, Dia's eyes hovered on the shadow of the man who had once been one of their merry musketeers. Her husband wrapped an arm protectively around her middle and kissed her ear, then they quietly walked out the door and shut it softly behind them.

Skylar lay in the dark thinking about what it all meant. He kept touching the bracelet to verify it was all true, that he wasn't dreaming it all. He was afraid to go to sleep and wake up to the dull reality of his old home.

He heard Alex sniff in a small sob. Quietly as he could he crawled over to where Alex lay in the firelight and cuddled up next to her as he had done so many times when they were turned out on the streets by their parents who suddenly needed their 'privacy' in the apartment. Sky put an arm over Alex and their bracelets make a light "tink" in the quiet room as they touched.

She squeezed his arm and settled in to her blankets and pillow, really relaxing for the first time all day. Instantly she was asleep and Skylar soon followed.

Richie lay in his blankets and stared into the twisting flames from the fire pit. He was glad that the two kids had been allowed to join their family, and he knew there was more to the story then they were being told about how his mom and dad made it all work out okay. But what really bothered him was the visage of the man named Richard that stared down at him from the painting. It didn't try to follow him as the other one had, but it still bothered him, especially when his mother looked at the picture and seemed to go so very far away. He knew it was idiotic, but he couldn't shake it.

He listened quietly as all the others dropped off to sleep. It hadn't taken long as they were all worn out from the long day and all the excitement and terror it had held. But he was still wide awake. Finally Richie decided he needed to go retrieve his other pillow, that the one was not enough. He was using his dad's old pillow that Auntie Harm had made to get his mother out of some trouble back in their Hogwarts days. But it was old and lumpy and Richie knew that tonight he needed something that wasn't so distracting.

With all the stealth he could muster, he crept out of his bed. Colonel opened his eyes and briefly wagged his tail, but stopped quickly when Richie put his fingers to his lips in a shushing motion. He was mildly surprised the dog understood the command, but the thought left him as he turned and slipped out the door and into the night beyond.

As he walked up to the house he could tell almost all the lights were out but the one that was left on in the living room. He figured everyone was asleep and tried not to make any noise as he creaked the door open and then shut behind him. He was almost to his bedroom when he thought he heard the piano being played from the other end of the house. Richie passed his bedroom door without notice and crept down the hallways until he was peeking around the doorframe into the living room.

There sat his mother, playing softly on the piano. She was in her long flowing green nightgown and silky housecoat, her hair let down and falling around her shoulders. As she sat and played she started humming and then finally singing.

"I've been looking in the mirror for so long.

That I've come to believe my soul's on the other side.

All the little pieces falling, shatter.

Shards of me,

Too sharp to put back together.

Too small to matter,

But big enough to cut me into so many little pieces.

If I try to touch her,

And I bleed,

I bleed,

And I breathe,

I breathe no more."

Richie watched as his dad came into the room and listened to the song, then sat down straddling the bench next to his mother as she continued to sing, his back to Richie.

"Take a breath and I try to draw from my spirits well.

Yet again you refuse to drink like a stubborn child.

Lie to me,

Convince me that I've been sick forever.

And all of this,

Will make sense when I get better.

But I know the difference,

Between myself and my reflection.

I just can't help but to wonder,

Which of us do you love.

So I bleed,

I bleed,

And I breathe,

I breathe no...

Bleed,

I bleed,

And I breathe,

I breathe,

I breathe-

I breathe no more."

The song came to an end and after the last notes Richie watched his father take his mother's hands from the keys and hold them in his big strong ones.

"I haven't heard you sing that song in years love. Are you okay?" He asked his wife softly.

She nodded. "I just can't shake how it felt to see how those horrible people treated their children. Like the past was somehow chasing me and punishing those kids for my escape. I know that doesn't make any sense…" she trailed off, the words lost.

"I know sweetheart, I know. But it's more than that, isn't it? I saw how you looked at the painting tonight. What's also wrong, honey?" He reached his arm around her back and pulled her into his chest, her head resting on his shoulder.

"I don't know. I take that back, yes I do know, I'm just not sure what to do about it."

"About what?"

"Richard."

The word startled Richie and made his heart start pounding so loud he was sure that his parents would hear it from across the room.

"You mean about him following Richie around the school?"

"Yes. It is upsetting Richie and I think I'd better go talk to Richard tomorrow while we are at Hogwarts. Tell him to steer clear of Richie."

"You want me to talk to him instead? I don't want you to have to dig up painful memories. The portrait of us have become frighteningly lifelike. I don't want you upset."

"It's okay John. I should do it. You are going to already have your hands full with Ember and Gypsy who I believe are planning an escape attempt again while we are there."

His father chuckled softly. Then he kissed the top of her head. "Okay love, but if you need me,"

"I know, I'll just think really hard about you and you'll appear like magic. Like you always do." Richie could tell she was smiling. "Some days I swear the mental link between us was never broken."

"Maybe it wasn't because we didn't want it to be." He said thoughtfully.

"I hope it never gets broken permanently."

"One day, a long long time from now, it will get broken. But I doubt we'd be separated even by death for long."

"I wonder if we'll see Richard again that day."

"I don't know, maybe. I hope so." His father said.

Richie found himself suddenly standing behind his parents without realizing he'd done it. His mouth was working on its own volition.

"No! Don't talk like that, you hear me?"

The voice from behind them momentarily startled both of his parents but they turned around and recovered quickly.

"Richie, why are you still up, are you okay honey?" His mom asked, sweeping him into her arms and hugging him.

"I'm just not tired, that's all. I came to get my other pillow and I heard you singing… I've never heard that song before. When did you make it?"

A slight sob coughed in her throat but was quickly gone. "I made that song not long after Richard died in the battle. It was a very dark time for me and I almost was lost, if it hadn't been for your father…"

"You knew dad longer than Richard. Why didn't you love him the whole time? What did Richard have that dad didn't?"

"Oh, honey, it isn't like that. But I don't know if I can really explain it well." She sighed. "Richard was, well, Richard."

"He was my best friend. When your mother and he started dating, we didn't know we had feelings for each other like that. We were still more like crazy siblings than anything. I was happy for them, he made your mom's face light up in a way that, well, you had to see to understand. And when he died, he took a piece of her with him, literally and figuratively."

"I've heard the story dad. I just don't understand why, why him? Why not you?"

"If Jackie started dating someone else at the school, would you care?" His dad asked.

"Jackie? Of course not. She's like, like…"

"Like your sister perhaps? That was what it was sort of like for us. We had grown up playing together and it just seemed weird. It wasn't till after Richard's death that we realized how much we needed and eventually wanted each other. Richard was a good friend, a good man, and a hell of a wizard. It was an honor getting to know him and a crushing blow when life took him away. We wanted to keep his memory alive so we named you after him. And I hope someday you will come to understand him as we did. I only wish you could have met him, I think you would have liked him too."

"But if I had met him, he'd still be alive and I wouldn't be your child, and mom and you wouldn't have gotten married, and…" he trailed off for a moment. "And why weren't you more angry with me running off after Alex and Sky. Isn't that how he got killed, running off trying to be a hero?"

"Why did you run after those two? Was it for glory? So that everyone would be wowed by your bravery?"

"No, I was worried that since they grew up around muggles that they would get hurt in the forest. They didn't even know about the giant spiders that lived in there! I was afraid they'd get hurt or killed."

"Well there you go. We knew your intentions were good. Now don't get me wrong," his father said, pointing a finger at him, "it frightened the hell out of us both, and everyone left back here when on the clock your hand, and the hands of the others, all jumped to 'Imminent Danger' but we would never be mad at you for trying to save someone else." He tweeked the end of Richie's nose playfully.

Richie sat there for a while longer pondering it. His father pulled his body farther onto the bench and held him and his mom to his chest with his arms around them both.

"By the way, you want to know something else about how kind hearted you are?" his dad said softly, "You didn't think twice about adding Alex and Sky to our family. Most kids would be terribly jealous but you weren't. And that is just one of the many qualities I admired in your namesake Richard as well. He taught us all how to be open and accepting of everyone."

"I didn't think to be jealous. The home they came from was, oh I don't have the words to describe."

"I do," his mom quipped, making both the males smirk.

"I just thought if I was in their situation, I'd wish someone cared enough for me to help me out and love me, like you guys do. And I wanted them to have a chance to be who they should be. The sorting hat put them into Gryffindor for a reason. I can see the kindness and goodness in them, even if they can't. They were willing to stick up for Ember and Gypsy even if it meant getting hurt. And by joining our family, maybe they'll see that in themselves one day. Does that make any sense?" Richie asked.

"Yes it does, honey, yes it does." His mother said as she stroked Richie's dark hair away from his green eyes.

They all sat there for several more long quiet minutes till Richie finally yawned. His mom and dad both gave him a hug and kiss as he stood up and went back towards the hallway to his room. They followed him a short distance behind him, his dad keeping an arm around his mother's waist and her holding his hand in hers.

Quickly he retrieved his pillow and after another fast kiss to each of his parents, he sprinted out into the night towards the tree house. Just before he lost sight of the house he looked back at them. She held onto her husband tightly, chest to chest, her head leaning on his breast as they watched him run off into the night. His father's hand stroked her back in a comforting motion. Richie knew she was still upset over Richard. He vowed to tell them not to talk to the portrait but to let him handle it. One way or another, he knew it was his path to walk, and he didn't want to drag them down the wrong road trying to help him out. He would figure it out on his own.

Richie tried as quietly as possible to enter and lay down without waking anyone. As he found his spot and laid down to get comfortable, he heard her voice.

"Everything okay?" It was Jackie. Her voice was full of sleep but she had stayed awake waiting for him to come back.

"Everything is great. Thanks for waiting up for me Jackie. I'm sorry if I was mean to you today. But I'm glad you have my back."

"It's okay Richie. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Richie didn't have time to ponder much more than that as he fell off to sleep so fast and dreamed of being a dashing hero with a tall brown haired man at his side. He had a flashing blade and a quick wit and was in search of his maiden faire. Even though he had no idea what she looked like.

Chapter 5

Going Native

"You know, we don't often all get together and have a family breakfast. And this would be why." Jackie had leaned over and whispered to Alex and Sky while sitting at the breakfast table.

Alex didn't see why Jackie had bothered to whisper, there was so much raucous noise in and out of the dining room that she doubted anyone would have heard if she had yelled it to them. Alexis looked around the table and was amazed at the amount of hustle and bustle there was. Coming from a family of night dwellers, mornings had been a bad time to be awake and in the way. That was how to get hurt. But this family…

"Callen, get your feet off the table. Ember, Gypsy, I made pancakes for humans, not dogs and gnomes. Melody, does Bella HAVE to sit on your lap while you eat?" The woman Addy was practically shouting to be heard over the baby Serenity screaming and Jazz's morning attempts at cheering charms.

"Yes Auntie Addy, or else Colonel will chase her!" Melody yelled back. Beside her the younger twins were complaining to their mother Harmony that Bella wouldn't stop eyeing their Pigmy Puffs that sat on Aria's and Jubilee's shoulders.

"Why couldn't you leave her in your room with the door closed?" Addy tried to say back but Serenity started throwing the last of her food at Billy, including the bowl and spoon. Billy was still trying to hush the baby down but getting nowhere.

"Colonel won't chase her if she isn't being bad!" Ember yelled back. John leaned over and tapped her plate, reminding her to eat.

"I could leave her in my room if Bob over there wouldn't try to sneak in and ride her!" Melody shot back.

"How can he? He's here with us!" Gypsy yelled, flipping some of her cereal onto the tabletop. John sighed and tapped the spill with his wand and cleaned it up. His own plate was barely touched. Dia reached over and snagged some of the bacon off his plate while he was turned away.

"Well I'm not taking any chances. Not with Bob the terrorist around." Melody yelled back, stroking the cat and sending long black hairs to settle on Jazz's plate.

"Mom!" Jackie yelled. "Callen has his feet on my chair under the table! Tell him to stop!"

"Jackie, you just flicked syrup onto my shirt." Richie said looking down at the slick patch that dribbled down his front.

"That's Callen's fault. And why don't you get Serenity to stop crying already. Can't you tell she wants her mommy?" Jackie sneered back, glaring at Callen.

"Oh, hardy har har Jackie-O." Callen yelled back.

"Billy, can't you do something about Serenity?" Addy sighed, trying to eat some of her own pancakes. She went to stab another pancake but it jumped up and ran off over to Jazz's plate where fell flat on top of his bacon, eggs and cat hair.

"What do you want me to do? She won't stop-" Billy tried to say. Abruptly the baby stopped wailing. "-screaming." He looked over and watch as Colonel licked the baby's hands and face carefully, then set about cleaning up the highchair and floor around it.

"See," Ember mocked, "Colonel is at least useful. More than that prissy, hissy, bag of bad attitude you call a cat."

John snapped his fingers and got Ember's attention. "Hey little firebug, manners. Would you like it if she called Colonel names?"

Ember's face showed she was thinking really hard about it. Gypsy continued to eat her cereal while she waited for Ember to decide. Finally the little girl blew some of the flaming bangs out of her face with a sigh. "I guess not. But she does anyway so I don't see the point you are trying to make dad."

Alex thought about how young John had looked last night in the forest compared to how old he seemed to have become during breakfast. He rubbed his forehead and sighed, looking at his own plate and realizing his bacon was missing.

"The difference is," Dia had leaned over and cleaned up Richie's shirt, "that you are at the table and it isn't the proper place for name calling."

"What place is?" Ember asked.

"The tree house." Dia answered stealing the bacon from John's plate as he got himself some more.

"Jacordia." Addy's voice was stern.

"What mom, I didn't do anything." Jackie replied defensively almost getting caught trying to kick Callen under the table.

"Wrong Jacordia. But stop trying to kick your brother anyway." Addy glared briefly at her daughter. "You, Dia, are not helping."

"Well that's what you get for getting me up at this ungodly hour in the morning Addy. I don't know why you had to drag me out of bed. And worse yet, you sent Jazz to do it!"

"Well no one else wanted to try! I swear you are just like a dragon in the morning."

"And? Your point being?" Dia reached over and tried to steal more bacon but John slapped her hand lightly instead.

"Get your own!" John smiled.

"Well maybe I would have if we had been allowed to stay in bed and cuddle this morning…" Dia said with a smile and a wink.

"Hey, some of us are trying to eat here!" Jazz said, fishing hair out of his mouth. "Addy, what did you put in these pancakes anyway? You forgot to shave it first."

"Serves you right for stealing my food. And Dia, how often do we get to have a family morning together anyway? We have to set a good example for our new family members Alexis and Skylar."

"Well that failed miserably then." Billy murmured under his breath.

"Don't make me kick you under the table Billy." Addy warned.

"Good luck on that! You're sitting at the opposite end!" Billy laughed, unaware of the dog getting closer to his plate.

"MOM! Bella's looking at Fred again!" The younger set of twins whined in unison. Harmony woke with a start and looked around not having realized she had fallen asleep sitting up.

"John, the dog just ate everything off my plate too…" Billy said frowning.

"Sorry, I don't think he knew where Serenity's plate stopped and yours started with all that mess there." John replied helpfully and got a sour look from Billy who was reaching for more pancakes again.

"Callen's got his feet on me again!" Jackie complained again.

"Callen get your feet off of Jackie, Richie, try not to sleep in your plate. Dia, John, seriously get a room." Addy snarled playfully.

Alex looked over to where the two adults were kissing and getting quite passionate.

"And besides," Addy added with a yawn, "I think you are about to have two runaways."

John stopped kissing his wife and caught Ember and Gypsy trying to sneak under the table towards Harmony's handbag. He wiggled his finger and got the girls back up to the table and eating again. He turned back to continue kissing his wife when a bit of pancake hit him.

His head snapped around and he eyed Billy who had an innocent look on his face and was pointing to Serenity. The baby giggled again as the dog tried to steal the rest of Billy's pancake. When he went to stop the dog he was hit in the face with a half of a banana.

It was John's turn to look innocent. Billy launched a bit of scrambled egg in his direction but John warded it off with his fork and it flew and hit Jazz. Immediately Jazz launched the biscuits that were on the tray in front of him at John and Billy. Dia ducked under the table to avoid being hit as John returned a salvo of blueberries.

The kids all were now laughing and cheering on one of the boys until each of them were hit with some sort of breakfast item. Alex and Sky just sat there at the end of the table next to Addison and stared at the emerging food fight with their jaws dropped open.

Addy leaned over to the two using a large serving try as a shield against missives that came her way. "So did you both get enough to eat? You still hungry?" The food fight didn't seem to be fazing her in the least.

"Um, we're okay ma'am." Alex stuttered back a little, still weary of adults.

"Okay, but I'll wrap up some snacks for you to put in your bags to tide you over till lunch." She briefly looked at the table. The boys were in a full frontal food assault and the dog had jumped onto the table and was wolfing down anything it could reach. Bella was struggling to get out of Melody's hand to grab an unsuspecting Fred who was part way down Aria's shirt. John slipped out of his seat and under the table as well. Bob was doing a little table dance which was a pretty good Irish jig using a napkin as a skirt and holding a tiny umbrella.

Addy looked at the two kids again with a smile. "Don't worry, there is more food in the back. I know better than to bring it all out with everyone at the table at the same time." Addy gave a deep sigh and flipped up the table cloth and shouted under the table. "When you two are through under there you'd better get a move on. We don't want the kids to be late to class today."

From under the table Alexis could hear John's voice. "Okay Addy. But World War 3 has to end first." It was followed by a sharp slap and giggle from Dia.

"Hey Mr. McPherson, watch what you're grabbin." Came the woman's voice.

"As a matter of fact I was…" He responded. There was a struggle and a bunch of laugher and the table was bumped from underneath.

Most of the food was unable to be thrown anymore so the different adults started to get up and collect their own kids and usher them out of the room to get cleaned up and dressed. John and Dia finally came out from under the table and he grabbed Ember and Gypsy and Dia helped up Richie, brushing the extra food from his clothes. She turned to Alex and Sky.

"Well, we should get you two dressed and pick out some books for school." She said smiling at them.

Alex nodded to her and as she got up, exchanged surprised looks with Sky.

"But warden, we have things to do!" Gypsy was whining, not wanting to be hauled off and watched.

"You mean things like you two trying to escape to Hogwarts today?" John said smiling and giving his wife one last kiss on the cheek before taking a little girl under each arm and walking from the room.

"Well, um… maybe." Gypsy said.

"Don't forget Bob and Colonel!" Ember shouted, reaching for the dog.

Colonel's head shot up and he picked up the gnome carefully by the back of what looked like a corset the gnome was wearing. As the dog jumped down from the table it's claw snagged the table cloth and pulled it part way off the table with him. Billy reached out and grabbed it before all the dishes crashed to the floor. Serenity started laughing and clapping with delight.

The gnome started yelling some weird gibberish. Jazz reached over one of the younger twins that stood before him and grabbed the gnome from the dog's mouth and placed him on his back instead. This seemed to be fine with the dog and improved the gnomes temperament considerably.

"Okay there scamp, firebug. Let's get you two cleaned up." John said, finally pushing the swinging dining room door open with his foot.

"Hey Gyp?" Ember said, peering at the other little girl from across John's chest.

"Yeah Em?"

"If Colonel and Bob are together, do we call them Cabob?"

"Yeah!" Gypsy giggled back, her hair turning an interesting shade of violet.

Alex watched them go and then looked up at Dia who motioned for them to follow. "Who is going to clean up this mess?" Alex whispered to Dia.

Everyone still in the room shouted at the same time. "Billy!"

There was laughter all around as Billy gave everyone silly faces and finally took out his wand and started magically cleaning up the mess. Serenity squealed with delight as she watched everything go flying to the kitchen or garbage.

"So what do you think of your first meal with the family?" Dia asked as she escorted the two out to the tree house.

Skylar was shy but finally was brave enough to answer when they were out of earshot of anyone else. "I think it was terrific. And that you all might be just a little crazy."

Alexis heart stopped for a second, fearful that the woman with the dark red hair would be mad, but she relaxed as she heard the woman start laughing.

"True, Sky. So very true. But it helps around here to be just a little touched in the head."

It took some coaxing, but Dia finally convinced Alexis to wear something other than black. The older kids had found clothes that Alex and Sky could wear that were in far better shape than anything they owned. Sky tried not to grin as Alexis came out of the bedroom in the tree house in black pants and a red shirt that actually flattered her mocha skin quite well. Alex frowned but agreed to try to brighten her wardrobe at least a little.

Sky was wearing one of Richard's green long sleeved shirts with a pullover. He wasn't sure why Dia was convinced everyone would freeze to death if they weren't wearing at least three layers of clothing but he didn't complain. Even if they were already used clothing they were the nicest things he could ever remember wearing.

While they were getting dressed Dia and Addy were in the tree house with them trying to find appropriate books for both the kids to use. They agreed that Jazz's first year Charms book was still probably safe, but there was much discussion over Dia's Transfiguration book. It had good notes written in the margins, but it also contained quite a number of conversations that they were worried were not always appropriate. Alex came out and asked to use it anyway and they gave her the book. Addy's old potions book was also snagged.

"This coming weekend we will come and collect you both. A trip to Diagon Alley for new robes, clothes and school supplies will be a help for you two. But at least these things will be a good start." Addy said to them as she packed more clothing into bags. Sky watched as she checked two towels that were wrapped around late morning snacks for them and placed them into the bags as well.

"In the meantime, the others will check to make sure the current books don't have any updates that you may need. If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact us via bracelet." Dia added. Sky looked down at his own bracelet that had changed slightly to match his current outfit. He glanced over to Alex who was smiling as she was reading the back of a page in the Transfiguration book.

Unable to stop his curiosity, Sky nodded to the two women and wandered over to look over Alex's shoulder. "What are you smiling about?"

Alex showed him the page. From what he could tell, there was an argument going on about Jazz's misappropriation of Billy's new Sneakascope. Apparently he had tried to charm it to actually detect teachers approaching but instead it started screaming whenever any girls approached. John seemed to think that was still useful but Addy and Dia found it terribly annoying. John and Richard had started to list all the times that it would come in handy and when "at the tree house to tell when stupid girls are coming" was added to the list it seemed to set Dia off pretty badly. Reading the responses made Sky immediately understand why the women worried about the book being appropriate. Dia seemed to know a lot of different swear words in many languages in her youth and had some very creative threats.

With the kids finally fed, cleaned up and dressed they gathered together in the front room to head back to Hogwarts. Harmony and Jazz would take the hand of each of their kids, Dia had Richard and Alex's hand and John had Jackie's and Sky's hands and were getting ready to disapperate. Addy had a hold of Ember and Gypsy so that they couldn't get away again and stow away. They had very unhappy looks on their faces.

There was a knock at the door. Billy opened it and there stood a little wizard who immediately zoomed in on Dia and John.

Addy's hair turned from the bright blue to a very dark blue in seconds.

"There you are. Wondered if you two were off for the day. We have a problem." The little man was saying without even a hello to the others. "We need you at the Ministry now. The squad is gathering to move right away."

Dia turned to the man and sighed. "We'll be right there. Give us two minutes. We have to get this group back to the gates at Hogwarts right away."

"No time. They will have to find another way. Time is of the essence. The Stanton's may already have been warned." The man nodded to her and spun on his heel and walked out the door, disapperating before he stepped a foot on the outside deck.

John and Dia exchanged a look between them. Addy handed Ember's and Gypsy's hands over to Billy and stepped up. "Here, I'll take our two new members. Richie, grab Jazz's other hand. Jackie, grab Harm's free hand." She smiled at Dia, her hair returning to a somewhat lighter blue but still dark. "Don't worry, go. We've got this."

Sky noticed that the faces of the two little girls got brighter as they looked up at Billy. Gypsy's hair turned purple.

Dia kissed Richie on the forehead, and then also Alexis and Skylar. John patted them all on the back or squeezed their shoulder then the two adults stepped away and were gone in a blink.

Sky was sad to see them go and curious to find out what ideas were brewing in the little girls' heads.

Addison took their hands in her warm ones and smiled. "Well, I guess I'll be your stewardess this evening. Keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times, and don't forget to return your tray table to their proper places. Everyone ready to go?"

They all nodded and Sky was nervous again. This way of traveling still unnerved him to no end. He looked over at Richie who was staring out the door lost in thought.

"You going to be okay here with the kids by yourself Billy?" Addy asked, concern creeping into her voice as she, too, noticed the looks on the girls' faces.

"Oh, we'll be fine, won't we girls!" Billy smiled at the two, catching the exchanged look between them. His face took on a more apprehensive appearance.

The woman spied Callen holding baby Serenity and Colonel licking her toes as he walked into the room with the younger twins behind him.

"Everything will be fine mom. Take your time. I'll take Serenity and put her down for a nap, although I may borrow Colonel to do it. She has yawned several times and the dog seems to make her happy."

"I think that is a wonderful idea." Addy smiled. "I'm sure Ember and Gypsy wouldn't mind if he went with you for a while."

The two girls smiled what Sky thought were the world's most mischievous smiles ever made. "Oh, of course not. He'll find us when she's asleep."

"Yeah. Unless he takes a dog nap. But that's okay too. We have Uncle Billy to entertain us!"

Billy's face paled a little. Addy rolled her eyes and looked over to Jazz and Harmony, completely missing a tiny hand reaching out from Ember's jacket and sliding Billy's wand out of his pocket. Gypsy saw it and winked at the two younger twins who started smiling like mad children as Callen wandered off with the baby and the dog. Sky couldn't help but smile but decided to say nothing.

"Well then, let's be off." Addy said. And the world winked out of existence.

**The gates of Hogwarts appeared before them. Sky teetered a bit, Addy held his hand firmly making sure he did not fall.**

"**Don't worry hun. You will get used to it soon. And until then one of us will always be here to help you keep your feet about you." Addy smiled at the boy. His smoky blue eyes had a gleam to them. The sadness that Addy had first seen there still held. But today they seem to hold a glimmer of hope.**

**They made their way through the gates and up the front steps to the school. The Head Mistress was there to greet them. She looked at the children, the adults. **

"**An exciting night was it? Well I am glad to see you two are in very capable hands." She smiled at Sky and Alex. "I have a few professors looking into last night's events. You can rest at ease knowing that you have been cleared, though the true culprits have not yet been caught. Classes will start shortly; you had better be running along. We don't want to be late, do we?" **

"**No ma'am." The children said in unison, and ran through the huge doors of Hogwarts.**

"**Addison, I didn't expect to see you here today, what a wonderful surprise!" McGonagall hugged Addy warmly. "I hear congratulations are in order yet again." Minerva held her at arm length and studied her face. Addy let out a sigh.**

"**Well I don't know if congratulations would be the right word. How many times do you congratulate someone for something they have already done... four times before. Unless you are saying congratulations on Billy reaching Complete Idiot!" Addy smiled at her aunt. Minerva winked at her. The two women chuckled together. **

"**Well me and the misses better be about it, We don't want to be late for class either. I hope you two have a good visit." Jazz tipped his hat and bowed, then sauntered off into the school. Harmony just shook her head.**

"**See you tonight Addy. Have a good day Professor." Harmony said to the two women and followed Jazz. Minerva put her arm around Addy. **

"**You are in luck. Today I am free until after lunch. What do you say we have some tea and maybe some cookies and donuts." Her aunt ushered her in through the huge doors. **

"**That sounds wonderful. I haven't had time for a cup of tea, and a clear thought in weeks." It was nice to get away, Addy thought to herself. She was going to enjoy every moment of it she could.**

**Morning classes seemed to drag on. After the excitement of the night before, a minimal amount of sleep, and the addition of two new family members, it was hard for Jackie to find interest in any of the day's lessons. As she watched her friends, she seemed to be the only one who was suffering from the lack of sleep. It was as if the trip home had recharged the others. Sky and Alex seemed more awake and alert than ever. Jackie pulled out her sketch pad, flipped to a blank page and started to draw, as the Herbology professor droned on. Cade and Melody were the only two who seemed to be paying any attention to what was going on in class. Richie, Alex and Sky were wrapped up in their own conversation. **

**Jackie had dropped the sketch book in her bag, just as the bell rang, and the professor dismissed them from class. She was ready for lunch, and really couldn't wait for classes to be over. She was in need of a nap. Sky smiled as he waited for her with the others. **

"**Lost in you drawing again I see." **

**Jackie knew that he was only trying to show he was interested in what she was doing, but the comment rubbed her wrong after what Richie had said to her the day before. She gave him a half hearted smile. **

** "Yeah, I guess." changing the subject quickly, Jackie asked. "So what was it you three were so wrapped up in?" **

** "Oh Alex was asked Richie what the rules were at your house." Sky looked down at his shoes and quickly corrected himself. "Um, our house, I mean home." He smiled brightly at her. "You know what I mean."**

** "Oh is that why he almost fell out of his chair?" Jackie chuckled.**

** "Yeah how did you... oh never mind." Sky chuckled back. **

**Jackie started to speak, but the vibration at her wrist stopped her. All six of them stopped and looked at their bracelets. Alex read the message aloud. Her confusion was evident.**

** _How! We have'm Big Squaw Chief. You give'm secret key juju or we cook 'em good! Signed Mighty Firebug, Brave Wondering Scamp, Little Fights-in-Dress, and Furry Barks-at-moon._**

**Cade and Melody started to laugh uncontrollably. Richie smiled from ear to ear. Sky and Alex were confused, Jackie rolled her eyes and shook her head. **

** "No time to explain. We have to see if mom is still here, sounds like dad is in trouble." **

** The group ran all the way to the school. Just outside the Great hall they found Addy, Jazz, and Harmony talking with the Auntie McGonagall. They skidded to a stop almost falling over each other. Jackie grabbed her mom's arm, as she paused to catch her breath. Addy's bracelet buzzed softly. She lifted her wrist and then shook her head.**

** "What is it Addy?" Harmony asked.**

** "I am not sure... it is from Dia, but I have no clue what she is trying to say. All I can make out is that they just go home."**

**Her bracelet buzzed again, this time so did Jazz and Harmony's. It was John this time. **

** "Sorry about the last message. Dia can't control her laughter long enough to send a clear thought. I think we arrived just in time. Unless roasted Billy was what you had in mind for dinner tonight. Firebug and Scamp have had a busy day. Bill is tied to the tree and they have piled up fire wood around his feet. Bob and Colonel won't let us near to untie him. Well me near. Dia is just laying on the ground laughing uncontrollably. Anyway, I think I may need Addy's help to get him free."**

** "Oh my!" Addy exclaimed as she read. Jazz burst into laughter. Harmony giggled. Jackie had finally caught her breath. **

** "Mom I think that Dad may be in..."**

** "Yes Jackie he is." Addy quickly hugged all the kids, and kissed her aunt good-bye.**

** "Off to save Billy again?" McGonagall asked.**

** "Are you kidding!" Addy smiled. "I want pictures!" **

** "Mother!" Jackie yelled with a stern look on her face.**

** "Oh Jackie don't worry. I will untie him. They won't hurt him." Addy said lovingly.**

** "Well..." Jackie paused. "That is good, but I was going to tell you to take some for me." She smiled.**

** "Yes sweetie." Addy giggled as she ran off.**

** Jackie led the way to lunch. Richie, Cade and Melody were still snickering over the whole ordeal. Sky had a look of worry on his face, and Alex was contemplating something. Jackie sat down, and started filling her plate. Sky sat next to her. She looked at him.**

** "Oh don't worry. He will be fine. Gypsy and Ember won't hurt him, at least on purpose."**

** "And that is supposed to make me feel better?" Sky smiled. **

** "Oh don't worry. This is minor. Besides once you get to know everyone, you will understand more." Richie laughed. Cade and Melody nodded in agreement through their own laughter.**

** "So what were the, um Trouble Twins? That's what you call right? What were they talking about when they said Secret Key Juju?" Alex asked. **

** Richie explained to Alex and Sky how they had come to have the key in their possession. He told them that was why the girls had stowed away in Harmony's bag. **

** "They have been hounding us for information every chance they get. I don't think they really understand that we don't have all day to roam around looking for whatever it goes to. We have tried every door it might fit. It is a rather small key. I don't think that a door is the answer anyway." Richie finished just as Jackie's bracelet buzzed.**

** _All is quiet on the western front. The restless natives are not so restless. Gypsy and Ember are taking naps, your father has gone off to the ministry for some quiet time. Bob wasn't tired, so he has attached himself to my ankle. I think this is his way of saying sorry. I am not quite sure what the girls used to apply the war paint to Serenity, Jubilee, and Aria. Dia and John are working on that now. So things are back to normal, if there ever was one for this house. Love you!_**

_** PS. You haven't seen your father's wand have you?**_

**Jackie relayed the message to her friends. Sky gasped.**

** "What is it?" Melody asked. "Something wrong?"**

** "Oh this morning, I saw Bob slip your dad's wand out of his pocket. I didn't say anything because I didn't want anyone to get in trouble." Sky said to Jackie. Jackie touched her bracelet.**

** _Search the trouble twins for Dad's wand. Sky saw your new ankle bracelet slip it out of his pocket this morning. Love you too!_**

** "Sky you are going to have to learn not to worry so much." Jackie sighed. "But it is good to know you are very observant." Jackie looked at Richie, Cade and Melody.**

** "Constant Vigilance!" they chimed all together.**

** "Family motto?" Alex asked.**

** "Yup!" Richie replied. "Thanks to my dad. You know there are so many stories we are going to have to tell you. Fitting in with this family isn't the hard part, we come in all shapes and sizes. Keeping up with us, now that will keep you on your toes!"**

** "Or tied up, if you ask Uncle Billy." Cade quipped. Jackie gave a small frown to Cade. **

** "We had better finish up here and get to class. We don't want to be late for Auntie's class." Jackie grabbed her bag.**

** Transfiguration was the one class that Cade, Melody, Jackie and Richie did equally as well in. Turning their Ravens into writing desks was pretty simple. Alex had a little trouble the first time. It looked like a writing desk but it was covered in black feathers. Her second try was perfect. Sky on the other hand had a little more trouble. It would transform perfectly, but when you opened any of the drawers it would utter "Never more". Jackie watched carefully as he tried for the third time. **

** "You just need to be a little more forceful with your words, less melancholy." Jackie said thoughtfully. "Say it like you mean it. Clearing your mind helps too. Whatever you are thinking about put it out of your head. Think of nothing, then say the words. It is important that we feel what we want, not just say it." Sky's eyes opened wide. It confused Jackie for a moment. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder.**

** "I couldn't have said it better myself Jackie." McGonagall smiled sweetly at Jackie as she turned to look at her Aunt. "With Jackie's help you will have this down in no time. Let's see you try it again Skylar." Skylar held his want firmly and with certain conviction said the words for the transfiguration spell. The raven was quickly turned into a writing desk, and when McGonagall opened one of the drawers, nothing was heard.**

"**Excellent! Top marks for both of you, and 5 points to Gryffindor. What a fine example of citizenship, and helping out a fellow student." McGonagall patted Jackie on the back firmly. The group made small talk until the bell rang excusing them. Potions was next, it had been a long day with little sleep, and it was slowly beginning to show on each of them.**

The silent vibration of his bracelet jolted Richie out of his daydream. He looked around at the others who were glancing down at their own armlets as they stirred their potions. Richie briefly checked his cauldron. He wasn't sure when he had tuned out but luckily his pot was simmering along as it was supposed to be. He then checked the message.

The scrawl was the messy handwriting of his mom. _Someone will be there to collect everyone tonight after Astronomy. Be wary of the Stanton boys as their father is being brought before a Board of Inquiry because he was caught with stolen property and banned substances. John and I were the ones who caught him today so watch each other's backs as it is front page news of The Daily Prophet._

There was another buzz as Jackie responded. _Someone will pick us up? But we don't know who?_

The next writing was Auntie Addy's. _Sorry about any confusion. Your Uncle Jazz and Auntie Harmony were supposed to bring you home but instead Jazz stated he has to run and do an errand. Harmony plans on trying to follow him for all our safety. There's no telling what that man may bring home or what he's up to. Dia and John were going to go instead but a wizard from the Auror's Division just showed up at the door and now they are gone again. I'd come and get you but I'm not sure I can Apperate with so many and Jazz has the emergency port key in his possession. And I don't think it is a hot idea to leave Billy alone with the kids due to his last experience. If worse comes to worse, I'll send him to take you all two by two._

_Sure thing mom. _Jackie replied back. Alex and Sky stared at their bracelets but didn't engage in the conversation. In the last two days they had barely used the armbands. He was sure they just hadn't acclimatized to it yet.

Richard's mind started to wander again. He fought the urge to ask his mom and dad what they were off to. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a bit of red. His heart started beating harder. His namesake had kept his distance since they returned to Hogwarts, but he thought maybe his mother's younger self had decided to take a stab at it. With intense trepidation his eyes focused on something outside the potions room door.

He immediately dropped his head to the table and thumped it lightly several times.

There in the hallway was Ember.

Richie looked up again and the other's all swiveled their heads and followed his gaze. Ember was riding the big Sheppard with Gypsy behind her. The little red head brought her hand up and pointed two fingers to her eyes they jabbed them his direction.

He heard Jackie's audible heavy sigh.

There was a small sharp pain in his ankle and Richie looked down to see Bob kicking him. As he glanced down at the little gnome he realized there was something in his tiny fist. The little creature thrust it up for Richie to take.

It was a small folded piece of red paper. Mow and Cow snickered as he began unfolding it until he could read what was written in terrible handwriting.

The paper said simply "Don't make us send a howler."

As usual, Melody had her finger pressed to her bracelet, but was still giggling at the letter. "Something tells me they are going to start searching the castle themselves shortly if we don't get some traction on finding where the key fits."

He couldn't help but reciprocate Jackie's sentiments with a huge sigh of his own. "Agreed."

With a swish of the furry tail, Ember, Gypsy, Bob and Colonel were gone back up the stairs.

Before they could think of anything to do, the instructor asked to see their potions. They all stood in wait for the class to be over, their collective impatience showing. With good marks to everyone at the table and yet another excellent to Jackie's potion, they quickly cleaned up and ran from the room in search of the errant girls.

With a finger pressed to his bracelet, he asked Ember and Gypsy where they were hoping the group wasn't about to be sent on a six year old's idea of a treasure hunt.

Barely readable words came back. _We are with our new friend!_

"New friend?" He said out loud without realizing it. Jackie, the twins, Alex and Sky all leaned over to read it. He sent back _What new friend? You can't just go around talking to anyone Em._

Gypsy replied, her childish writing at least marginally more readable. _He found us. We are in his office. I think he said his name is Filch._

"Filch!" The group all yelled at the same time, their voices aghast.

Jackie responded before Richie could. _Em, Gyp, run for it!_

Gypsy replied _Why?_

_Because, that's… that's Filch! He hates children!_ Cadence answered.

_Really? Are you sure you know who you are talking about?_ Gypsy retorted.

Melody stared at the others. "We have to go save them. Come on!" She took off down the hall with the others in tow.

As they approached the door to Filch's office, Alexis could feel the intense anxiety that made every nerve in her body ache. She had already had a bad experience with the ancient man and so had Skylar. And from the way the others reacted they all had as well. Alex had expected the twins Melody and Cadence to not be so scared of the shriveled man since their parents were teachers, nor Jackie since her mom's great aunt was the headmistress, but the fear on their faces told all the story Alex needed to know.

Out of the doorway they could hear the gruff voice of the old caretaker as he snarled at his guests. Immediately Alex could hear the laughter of the two little girls in response. The troupe stopped just outside the doorway and exchanged confused looks. They all strained to hear inside.

"Now stop that you little monster. You'll ruin the brew. Tea should be hot and dark, not sugar filled and sickeningly sweet." He growled again.

"I'm making the tea this time so you'll drink it however I make it!" It was Ember's voice.

Alex swallowed hard.

"Hey Em," Gypsy's voice cut in, "I don't think that's how mommy makes the tea. I don't remember seeing her use a whole honeycomb."

"I need to strain the tea somehow Gyp. Why not with honeycomb?"

"I thought that was what the hairnet was for."

"No, silly, that was to get the mint leaves out of my pocket. They were mixed up with Cabob's treats."

Filch's voice snarled, "Who's Cabob?"

The two little girls laughed again. "That's what we call Bob and Colonel." Ember answered.

"The tea you are ruining has bits of dog and gnome food in it? You two are tiny assassins come to kill me aren't you." He sneered, sending the girls into fits of laughter. The kids in the hall could hear a chair scoot and Filch grumbling as he walked across the room and from the sound of it, poured out the tea.

"Want me to try the tea next Em? I've watched mommy make it. I think I still have some old tea grounds in my pocket here that we were going to use to give daddy a start by letting Auntie Harm read them."

"I don't think so you two gremlins. I'll make the tea." Filch's voice was attempting to sound mean and nasty but Alex realized he was also amused.

"But we said we were going to treat you to a tea party, so that means we have to do the cooking." Ember said in her sweet voice.

"Em, we really aren't cooking. We snuck the cookies and cupcakes from the house elves downstairs. If we are ever going to actually cook you are going to have to read a cookbook sometime."

"Gyp, other books are more important to read. Cooking's overrated anyway."

They could hear Filch shuffle over and set down something on the desk again. "I'm making the tea, so just close your yaps. Do you two ever shut up?"

The giggling girls replied in unison. "Nope." Which made them laugh all the harder.

Filch gave a heavy sigh.

"Hey Gyp, you still have the small sandwiches that your mommy made?"

"Oh, yeah, I have them here somewhere. Bob likes them."

"So what's with the mutt and the roaming gnome anyway? Can't you two brats have normal pets like a cat? A good cat is all a person needs."

"The twins have a stupid cat named Bella. She's useless. Bob and Colonel are special." Gypsy said.

"The book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them says that Bob and Colonel are kneazles. I know that is only supposed to apply to cats, but Gyp says that Bob and Colonel are special in that way. And she knows things like that."

"Oh, and how can such a little girl know something like that." He growled back again but with curiosity in his tone.

"I don't know, she just does. That's why we wanted to keep Cabob."

Gypsy added, "Yeah, luckily Warden understood."

"Warden?"

"That's daddy," Ember replied with what sounded like a mouth full of food.

"Mmmm" was his response. "So if she can tell special animals, what can you do other than get into too much trouble for someone of any age?"

"Oh, she reads books." Gypsy answered.

"Everyone reads books you obnoxious child. What's so special about that?"

"She reads books and can see them in her head later. She can tell you anything on any page of any book she's read. Darn useful when trying to figure out spells with daddy's wand."

Richard turned around and seemed shocked by the news. Alex looked at Jackie who just shrugged. The twins were equally stunned.

"Oh, really?" Filch scoffed. The kids could hear him getting up again and him shuffling through papers and books. "You said you read Fantastic Beasts. Well, I've got that very book here in my hand. Tell me, what does it say about a Ramora?"

"That it is a powerfully magical silver-colored fish from the Indian Ocean, a protected species that in turn is a guardian of seafarers, as the Ramora is capable of anchoring ships. It is protected from poaching by international wizarding law." Ember answered as if she was reading from the book. "Hey, Gyp, are these cookies tasty to you? This one kinda tastes like feet."

"I haven't tried them Em, have one of these. They are almost like eating a cloud. I wonder if mommy can make these for us. I like them. Don't you Mr. Filch?"

"Mmmm mmmmm. Here is another creature, what does the book state about a Glumbumble?"

Ember cleared her throat. "The Glumbumble is a magical furry insect. It produces a fluid that causes melancholy. This fluid is used as an antidote for the hysteria that results from eating Alihotsy leaves. Glumbumbles eat nettles. Does that make you feel better Mr. Filch? Now sit down and take that nasty look off your face. Makes me think your sour puss will curdle the tea. Or else I'll dip the rest of the honeycomb in it."

They could hear him sitting back down and mumbling to himself. Finally he spoke up. "What do your parents think about this?"

"How would I know? You'll have to ask them." Ember replied. "Grownups have weird ideas about things. They'd probably want to talk and talk and talk-"

"You mean like what you two fiends are doing? I swear someone should cut your tongues out and nail them to the wall."

This made the two girls start giggling again.

Alexis watched as Jackie, Richie and the twins exchanged shrugs. There were footfalls behind her and she turned around in time to see Dia round the corner near them. She had a strange look of dread mixed with determination that made Alexis want to move out of her way immediately.

As the woman neared she recognized the kids and for a moment, her regular smile appeared on her face. But as her eyes returned to the door, the terrible look regained its place.

None of the kids followed her into the room.

"Mr. Filch. I have come to retrieve my children. I assume they are free to go." Dia said in a no-nonsense tone of voice. It was flat but commanding.

"Well well if it isn't little Jacordia. Just a few days back I got to see Jonathan and then Addison. Sounds like all you troublemakers miss this old castle. And a new generation of pests have infested this place thanks to you all."

Ember giggled. "That would be us mommy. Do we have to go so soon? We aren't done with our tea party."

There was an intense silence before the woman spoke. "Sorry honey, time to go. We've taken up too much of Mr. Filch's time already."

"Okay," Gypsy said with a sigh. "Sorry Mr. Filch. We will have to finish our tea party some other time. But I'm sure that will be soon."

"Haven't I told you two misfits to stay out of this castle till you are old enough to be here?" The old man barked.

Yet again the two girls laughed. "You are so funny Mr. Filch." Ember said.

"Yeah, funny." Gypsy parroted.

"Time to go girls. Say goodbye to Mr. Filch." Dia said with authority that was not to be questioned. Alexis could hear the girls moving about and the scraping of Colonel's claws on the stone floor.

"Goodbye Mr. Filch. Next time I'll make better tea." Ember said with a smile in her voice.

"Yeah, goodbye Mr. Filch." Gypsy followed. They headed closer to the door then one of the small footsteps stopped. "You know," Gypsy's voice lilted into hallway as she turned back to the ancient man at the desk, "you seem really lonely. I heard someone say you used to have a cat. Why don't you get another one?"

"Oh, she died several years back. Never found another one to replace her. It's hard to replace those… well, you just never mind. Get your little butts off the castle grounds before I change my mind and string you up in my manacles here on the wall."

Dia was standing in the doorway and Alexis saw her body go ridged.

"Just because someone or something new comes into your life doesn't mean you are replacing the one's you've lost. Every relationship is different." Ember stated.

"Some people know that better than others I would say." The man replied in a low tone. Alexis knew without seeing it that he was staring at Dia.

"Anyway, I think Ms. Norris wouldn't care if you got a new friend. Have a good night." Gypsy said and waved.

"Goodnight Mr. Filch. See you later." Ember made a small giggle and turned. Both girls took Dia's hands and walked through the door with her and walked purposely down the hallway.

The other children turned and had to practically run to catch up. After they were out on the school grounds Alexis could hear Ember tell her mom she was walking too fast. Dia slowed down immediately and gave the girls' hands a small squeeze.

"Sorry about that girls. I didn't mean to drag you along." She said with a smile.

"That's okay mommy. We know you didn't mean it." Ember smiled up at her.

"Warden usually carries us." Gypsy stated with a smile. "Can we stop and say goodbye to the others?"

Dia abruptly came to a halt and seemed to just realize the others were behind them. "Oh, sorry about that guys. I just… well anyway, we will see you in a few hours, right?"

Richard replied first, slightly out of breath. "You coming to get us?"

"Um, no, I'm supposed to be somewhere right now. But I was able to come for the girls, but have to get back to your father. We are still searching the Stanton house again."

"Why didn't warden come for us?" Gypsy asked.

"He's occupied."

"You mean he's too busy for us?" Gypsy's voice seemed a bit hurt.

"No, he's literally occupied. He got caught in one of the traps in the Stanton house and got infested with bowtruckles. When we got the message about the two of you he had gotten fairy eggs dumped on him and the fairies were after him too. So I came instead."

"You left dad like that?" Richie's voice seemed a bit incredulous.

"It's nothing he can't handle. The other Aurors were watching out for him. Serves him right for trying to beat me to the hidden door if you ask me."

Sky gave Alex a sideward glance with a twinge of a smile. She raised an eyebrow back at him.

"So does that mean dad will come for us?" Jackie asked trying not to smile too much.

"If you're unlucky, yes. Harmony is still trying to find Jazz who slipped away from her. He's been working on some surprise for Alexis and Skylar." She smiled at the two of them.

Jackie's voice seemed skeptical. "Should we be worried?"

"Oh you know your Uncle Jazz."

"Exactly my point." Jackie said, folding her arms in front of her.

"Well, no matter what it is, John also has a surprise for the two. That one at least should be relatively safe." Dia said then added "I hope."

"Well we are hungry still, it's dinner time and we didn't get to finish our tea party." Ember said and looked significantly at the others. "Mr. Filch's office was filled with interesting things and lots of locks. Wonder if he has the keys for all of them."

"I guess that is something you can ponder the next time you sneak into Hogwarts." Richie shook his head at the little red headed girl.

"How did you get here this time, anyway?" Melody asked.

"We found the floo powder mommy hid while we were looking for Cabob snacks. We took the network and got out at the Hog's Head and rode Colonel the rest of the way. Bob is a little miffed as he wanted a butterbeer first I think." Gypsy stated.

"But we had to hurry because we knew it was only a matter of time before daddy came after us." Ember smiled. "What great timing that he got called away."

"Yes, how fortuitous. Anyhow, I have to return before your father gets into any more trouble without me there. Some days I wonder how he makes it out of bed safely." Dia said with a sigh. She looked to Alex then to Sky. "Are you both doing okay? Need anything?"

"We're fine. Thanks." Sky said, smiling at Dia.

"Alright then. Ember, Gypsy, better jump back on Colonel. Tuck Bob in tight. The rest of you better get off to dinner. Something tells me it is going to be a long night. Don't forget to be careful. See you all tonight."

Richie stepped up and gave his mom a quick hug. She put her arms around him and returned the hug, tussling his hair a little.

The little girls hopped up onto the large dog's back and waved at the others before he started loping off across the courtyard.

"Mom, we need to talk about Ember and Gypsy. I think we know how they are doing some of the amazing things they have managed to do." Richie said as he stepped away.

"Sure thing sweetie. Send it to our bracelets. Right now I need get back to your father. Take care." She said, then on the spin of her heel, she strode purposely across the courtyard and was gone in the darkness.

Alexis spoke at almost a whisper. "She had better hurry and catch those two before they do anything else."

"Nah, they won't do anything under her watch. They know better. When Uncle John's away from her and still in possible danger everyone knows not to cause Auntie Dia delay." Jackie said as she started back for the front doors to the castle.

"Would that be one of the house rules?" Sky asked.

"No, that would be self preservation." Jackie replied with a smile as they walked up the stairs and into the castle proper.

Skylar smiled. "So, I still don't understand the rule 'Don't eat the last doughnut'…"

Chapter 6

Sleeping with the Fishes

Astronomy that evening was going painfully slow in Alex's opinion. She stood with Sky and the other children and looked through the telescopes, each one taking turns watching the Stanton boys to make sure they weren't trying anything. Cadence was peering up at the moon's features as Melody checked her bracelet for word from the family for what seemed like the millionth time.

"I still say there could be an actual man on the moon. Dad says-" Cadence was saying with one eye pressed to the eyepiece but Jackie cut him off. Alex had noticed she had a bad habit of doing that, especially to the boys of the family.

"Uncle Jazz is just pulling your leg and you know that. The muggles that sent the Moon Lander up couldn't have possibly stayed because of no air."

"The whole man on the moon thing has to come from somewhere. Dad says-"

"Seriously Cadence, you really believe everything your dad says? He is STILL trying to convince us all that he is the 'reason for the season.' And that whole 'pull my finger' thing got old when we were five. Some days I worry he needs to be on medication." Jackie sneered at Cadence.

The boy's face turned very sour. "Just because my dad has a fantastic imagination doesn't mean he's not long for the loony bin. And at least my dad isn't flummoxed by a fuzzy potato!"

Richie took over the eye piece as the two continued to argue.

"Bob isn't an ordinary gnome Cad. Besides, Bob was just the bait. Your dad could have just as easily been taken in by the hysterics of the little gnome and caught and tied to the tree. And the girls have stolen your dad's wand plenty of times. The only father that hasn't had his wand stolen is Uncle John and that is because he could have to leave in a hurry and not having his wand could kill him. That and he completely enables them so they are smart not to make him upset."

"Don't drag my dad into this. He doesn't pull all the pranks your dad's do." Richie blurted out harshly.

"No, that's because they learned to be constantly vigilant around him or he attacked you!" Jackie's voice was raised.

"At least my father learned that lesson. Yours still hasn't!" Cadence countered, his voice rising above hers.

"Hey, what's wrong with learning to be constantly vigilant? Better than being a stooge." Richie almost shouted over the others.

Alexis noticed that no one was watching the Stanton boys who were now sniggering by their own telescope and shooting them furtive glances.

"Um, hey everyone. I think something's wrong." She said tentatively, her voice almost a whisper.

The three turned to her with a glare on their faces. Alex realized that Melody who hadn't gotten her turn at the telescope wasn't glaring at her, nor was Sky who also hadn't looked through.

"Well?" Cadence sneered.

"I think there is something wrong. The Stanton boys are laughing at us from over there and you three have started arguing ever since looking through the telescope. Richie joined in as soon as he had a look. Mel, Sky and I haven't looked and aren't arguing. Don't you find that suspicious?"

Melody was the first one to break the silence. "I think you're right Alex. And they did get to class before everyone else. What do we do about it?"

They all shrugged and stepped back from the telescope.

From the Astronomy Tower's steps a woman's voice floated to them. "Have we given up on the assignment already the six of you?"

Alex turned and was immediately afraid. The Headmistress McGonagall was walking their way.

"Evening Headmistress. We think something is wrong. After Jackie, Cad and Richie looked through the telescope, they started arguing with each other out of the blue. The Stanton boys got to class first and… well…" Melody's voice trailed off. "I'm not accusing them of anything ma'am." She added quickly, seeing the look on the elderly woman's face. "I'm just saying I agree with Alex, it is suspicious."

Alexis wished Melody hadn't mentioned her name as now the woman glanced her direction. If she was wrong the headmistress might think…

"Stand aside children. Let me take a look."

Everyone cleared the way as Mrs. McGonagall surveyed the telescope and then took out her wand and tapped it three times. There was a shimmer and immediately the faces of Jackie, Richie and Cadence took on a better vestiges.

"I would say that Miss Parker has been fortunately very aware. The telescope had a thin layer of what was meant to look like lubricant but was actually a compound that induces aggravation in others. It is most often used for mugglebaiting. Very good job Miss Parker." The Headmistress looked over at Alexis but all she could do was a weak smile back. The woman still frightened her terribly. The other kids kept telling her not to worry so much but Alexis just couldn't get over her fear of the woman with so much authority and power over her and Sky.

"Good thing you showed up Headmistress," Melody smiled, "or those three may have come to blows over their dads."

"Well then I'm glad I came up to check on you all." The woman smiled at them all. "Addison was worried that there would be trouble. Well, more trouble than usual for all of you that is. Of course since it wasn't a spell, there is no way to tell who put it there." She looked at Melody. "Well you had better get on with the assignment. Class is almost over."

"Yes ma'am." Mel replied and stepped up to the telescope to peer through it.

"I suppose you haven't heard how we are getting home tonight?" Jackie asked.

"Oh, no my dear. I have not. But I'm sure your parents have things quite well in hand…" She trailed off as she heard footsteps running up behind her.

They all turned around and saw Billy dashing up the steps and then skidding to a halt before he ran into the Headmistress. He looked up at her and tried to compose himself.

Alex watched as Cadence tried to suppress a smile and a laugh. Billy's head was shaved and there were faint outlines of where the magical paint had been applied to his face. He was breathing hard from running and was having a hard time catching his breath.

"On the other hand…" she sighed as she turned all the way around to face the man. He put up his hands and one finger as he gasped for air.

Jackie went over and hugged her dad and he gave her a goofy smile and a mock surprise like he just realized she was there which made her giggle.

"Mr. Denbrough. I take it you are to transport the children back to your house? Alone?"

"Yes ma'am. I mean yes Mrs. McGonagall. I mean, um, wait, what was the question again?" He said, his eyes shining.

She sighed again and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey Uncle Billy," Melody said as she stepped away from the telescope and motioned for Sky to look next, "Alex caught an attack on us!"

"An… an attack?" The smile dropped from his face.

"Oh, someone had smeared muggle annoyance grease on our scope. Jackie, Cad and Richie became irritable and Alex noticed it first!" She smiled as Billy looked over at Alex and did another pretend startle. Alex couldn't help but grin.

"Wait! Where did you come from! Did you just apperate here?" He pretended to be confused but then winked at her. "That's fantastic! If you are that good at sniffing out what's amiss, I may have to have you tail me all weekend. Jazz won't say what he's up to and that has me worried." He put a reassuring hand on Alex's shoulder and squeezed.

Alex liked Billy. He was so easy going and approachable. She was a little disappointed that it wasn't John though but she wasn't sure why.

"Hey Alex, you'd better take a look before we go. You're the last one." Sky said as he moved over and let her have room to move in.

"What, don't I get a turn? What am I, chopped liver?" Billy threw up his hands.

McGonagall pursed her lips. "Mr. Denbrough, are you able to transport all the children safely at the same time?"

"Um, well now that you mention it, no. I figure we can all walk to Hogsmeade and I'll pop back and forth till we are all home." He smiled at her. When she looked away and over the children, his face contorted with pretend fear but straightened as she looked back. Melody's face almost split with a silly grin.

Alex bent over the scope and looked at the Bay of Tranquility and other features on the moon, listening to the conversation behind her.

"Can we get butterbeers while we wait dad?" Jackie asked.

"Who said you aren't going first?"

"Well who is going first?" She replied.

"Um, I don't know. Who volunteers to go first?" Billy asked them all.

"If we get butterbeers, I want to go last." Richie said.

"And have your mother kill me for leaving you in possible danger? Or worse yet, where you might get cold?"

Alex heard him move closer to her as she straightened up and turned around. "Did you know that Dia went to Diagon Alley and bought, and I'm not joking here, twenty different sweaters alone for each of you two?" He looked from Alex to Sky. "I have no idea why that woman thinks everyone is going to freeze to death. Honestly I'm surprised she hasn't taken up knitting."

"Mom, knit? I think dad would die of a heart attack. Or from laughing too death." Richie snorted. Alex saw his eyes go up to the back of Billy's head and then him start snickering.

"Hey, can I take a look?" Billy asked. Alex nodded and Billy bent low to peer through the telescope. By this time all the kids were trying not to laugh. McGonagall raised both eyebrows. Alex looked at the back of his head as well and had to choke back a snort.

On the back of his head was a rough painting of what had to be Bob in a hula skirt with coconut bra and a tiki necklace and earrings.

Alex looked at McGonagall who was trying to compose herself and not smile.

"Wow, it has been ages since I've had a view like that. I wonder if Addy would let us upgrade our telescope out in the tree house." He turned around and smiled at Jackie. "What do you think?"

"I think I need to have some words with mom." She was frowning at him.

"Ummm okay, you do that. In the meantime," he turned around and clapped his hands together, "who wants to go first?"

"Did mommy and daddy make it home yet?" Melody asked.

"Not before I left. And Addy hasn't started yelling over the bracelets so I'm going with a no on that one." He pointed at her. "But don't worry. Every time I asked him what he was doing he would only giggle like a school girl and run off. So I'm sure there is no need to worry. Yet."

"Do you know what my dad's surprise is?" Richie asked.

"Yes. Next question."

"Will you tell us what it is?" Cadence was almost jumping up and down.

"Um, no. But you'll like it. And I've got a surprise for him in return."

"What does that mean Uncle Billy?" Melody asked in a giggle.

"That means we are going to have a very exciting weekend ahead of us! And if class is done…" He glanced over at the astronomy professor who was nodding her head and giving them all the signal to go while trying not to laugh, "I think we should be off!"

"I think I'll accompany you Mr. Denbrough." The Headmistress was eyeing him strangely, "To be sure the kids all get home safely."

"Don't you trust me Minerva?" Billy said as sweetly as possible.

The look she gave him was all the answer he needed.

"Come along everyone. Better be getting you home unharmed." She was saying as she turned and strode back down the steps. The kids all started to follow. Alex hung back and touched Billy's arm lightly.

"Excuse me sir, but, um, can you take me?" She barely spoke.

He leaned down and with a conciliatory tone smiled to her. "Don't worry, she still scares the snot out of me too. And she flat refuses to call me Billy! What's up with that?" He shrugged and winked at her, taking her arm in his. "Sure thing hon."

"Are you coming along Mr. Denbrough?" McGonagall's voice called back up the stairs.

He sighed. "You're gonna save me from her, right?"

"I thought you wanted me to save you from Proff- I mean Jazz."

"That too."

As they started down the steps he added, "And while you're at it, there are these two pesky kids and their dog and a potato with legs I could use your help with…"

The wrought iron gate with the words "Legion of Dynamic Discord" popped into sight. Sky's heart jumped with excitement at seeing the gate and he couldn't wipe the smile from his face. All the lights in the house looked like they were on. It was a warm night and it felt fantastic to think that this was considered his home now.

He looked up at the Headmistress as he released her hand. Jackie and Alex had apperated just behind him with Billy. McGonagall had taken the rest of them. He understood why Alex was afraid of the elderly woman, she was the embodiment of authority and power that they had been raised to fear. But it was easier to swallow the trepidation with the other kids around who had grown up knowing the woman as a person and extended family member instead of the fearsome form of the Head of Hogwarts.

She smiled back at him. "Well go on all of you. It's very late and I'm sure everyone is eagerly awaiting your arrival."

"I wonder if mommy and daddy are home." Melody said mostly to herself as she quickly entered the gate and ran down the path to the front porch steps with Cadence on her heels.

"I don't know Mel, is there screaming coming from the house?" Jackie said sarcastically behind Sky as they all walked on the cement walkway.

Melody reached the door first and threw it open. From the other end of the path Sky could hear Colonel barking, the little kids yelling, Serenity's high-pitched wails and things falling from shelves.

"I'd say they are home." Richard sighed next to Sky. They came to the porch and he stood next to Alex and looked in.

The room was filled with swimming fish. In the air.

Sky's mouth fell open.

A large hammerhead shark swam by. Alex flung her hand into the air in front of it so it didn't try to swim out the door. It flicked its powerful tail and swam through the air into the dining area instead. Skylar had to stomp a foot several times to keep two large Dungeness crabs and a lobster from getting out. An eel slipped over the back of the couch as the black cat launched herself in the air after some small clown fish that hovered in a school above the piano.

The professor Harmony grabbed the cat before it could kill the stripped fish. Four little children ran around with fish nets on poles trying to scoop up the different fish and return them to a huge crate that John was attempting to repair. Jazz was standing and trying to work out a spell but John kept correcting him or alternately telling him it wouldn't work.

"All I'm saying is that you could have let someone in on your secret. We might have been able to help you out before Bella found the crate and managed to get it to crash to the floor." John sighed. He turned to the dog that was barking and leaping into the air after assorted tuna. "Colonel, stop barking." The dog looked at him, licked his lips and took to whining instead, still trying to grab one out of the air.

Dia and Addy sat at the table in the dining room and were in a discussion, ignoring the aquatic life that skittered all around them. Addy slapped the tentacle of a squid that was trying to make off with her coffee cup when she noticed the door open and everyone trouping in.

"Auntie! So glad to see you again!" Addison smiled and got up from her seat and walked to the door. "Thanks for helping bring the kids home. Won't you come in and have a cup of coffee or tea?"

In the background, Dia started flicking hermit crabs off the table. "Come on in Minerva. The sea life isn't real. They are harmless. Too bad Jazz isn't."

From the other room the darker skinned man yelled back, "Hey, I'm MOSTLY harmless!"

The headmistress eyed a good sized salmon that swam by the front door. Bob was holding onto its fin and had a small fishing pole in his hands, casting it to and fro.

"Um, no thank you my dear. I think you may already have your hands full."

"We always have our hands full Minerva." Dia snickered. She had risen from the table and walked into the other room to look over her husband's shoulder. "Honey, forget the crate. I would suggest just getting the barrier spell working and let the kids catch the rest of Sea World and throw them in the room."

"I think you are right sweetheart." John said, straightening up and stretching an arm around her. "This crate has several strange spells on it that keep interfering with the repair charm." He kissed the side of her head and turned to the front door. "Good to see you again ma'am." He said to McGonagall. "And it is greatly appreciated that you helped Billy get everyone home at once. We were on our way when Billy messaged us of your kindness."

Jazz scratched his head and turned down the hallway towards the bedrooms.

The headmistress raised an eyebrow. "It wasn't as much of a kindness as a necessity." She eyed the back of Billy's head as he wandered through the door. "I feared there could be trouble if…" she shook a hand at a sea star that was inching its way around the upper doorframe, "Mr. Denbrough was left to the task alone."

"I'm sure things would have been fine." Billy smiled and went to give his wife a kiss but had to wait till a sea bass moved out of the way. "But I really do appreciate the help. Are you sure you don't want to stay and chat for a while?"

The four littlest kids ran giggling and yelling by having caught what looked like a small whale that they dragged in a net behind them. Bella had escaped from Harmony's arms and successfully seized an angel fish and ran into the dining room growling, looking for a place to eat it. Colonel bit into the dangling end of a bull kelp and was in a fierce tug of war. Harmony yelped as she accidently sat down in a chair that had hidden sea urchins residing in it. From down the hallway a bright light and a loud BANG burst forth accompanied with smoke. Jazz walked around the corner shaking his head and putting out the small fires at the end of his dark hair.

"Nope, that didn't work either." Jazz coughed, brushing some of the soot off his face and robes.

"I had better be getting back to the school. Good to see you all healthy and… relatively safe. Good night." The headmistress said as she shook her head and turned back down the steps into the night.

Richard nudged Skylar and they shooed back into the doorway a flounder that was slowly sneaking out. They were finally able to get the front door closed before any of the fake sea life escaped. Jackie stepped over a gathering of shrimp and hugged her mother. "Serenity's crying is getting on my nerves. Where's her nursemaid?"

"He was trying to grab the cat when the crate fell. The sea anemones are covering him head to toe. He has been extracting them for the last several minutes. Serenity is just mad because we covered the playpen for safety."

"I thought you said they were harmless mom," Richie asked.

"They are, but at first we weren't sure and decided to play it safe. Plus with so much activity, nothing can accidently fall on her this way." Dia answered. Sky thought she looked very tired. She rested her head on her husband's shoulder.

"Well we could throw a few sea horses in there with her, which would give her some entertainment. I'm sure that is why she is screaming, she wants to be a part of it all." John said as he wrapped his arms around her. Skylar tried not to smile as he saw what had obviously been fairy bites to his hands, arms, face and neck. John looked like he had a rough day.

"That's okay, let me pick her up and then I think I'd like to finally take a gander at the rest of the surprise Jazz has been working up." Billy said with another kiss to his wife.

"What is it dad? What have you been working on?" Melody and Cadence said in sync.

"It isn't quite finished but you might as well take a look!" Jazz smiled and motioned for Alex and Sky to follow him.

The excitement of the surprise that was made just for Alex and himself made him breathe faster. He couldn't imagine what fake flying fish could possibly have to do with it. He looked behind him briefly to see Richie smile encouragingly at him, and the twins dual looks of curiosity. Even Jackie was following with the look of inquisitiveness on her face. Sky looked at Alexis whose dark skin was rather pale. He could tell she was more afraid than curious.

Jazz stood grinning at the end of the hallway in front of two doors that Sky could have sworn had not been there before. Alex grabbed Sky's hand and held it, squeezing it almost painfully. From behind he heard a heavier footstep and glanced backwards to see John sidling up behind the two of them. He put a comforting hand on each of their shoulders which seemed to help Alex's fear calm a bit. She had never said anything, but of all the grownups here, Skylar knew that for whatever reason John made Alexis feel better, safer. He gave her hand a little squeeze, grateful for the tall dark haired man's presence.

"Ever since we knew you were going to come and live with us," Jazz started to say to them, "we knew you needed rooms of your own." The man's giddiness was contagious. He smiled like one of those kids on TV at Christmas. "And I figured since you hadn't really ever had a real room of your own with a theme, I decided to make you each one. I really hope you like them."

"Our own rooms?" Sky repeated.

"Of course. Where did you think you were going to sleep?" Addy said from behind them. She was standing in the hallway with Billy on one side and Dia leaning on the wall on her other side. Billy was holding Serenity who had a purple sea star in her hands, chewing on one of the many arms.

"I guess I figured we'd just crash in the tree house anytime we were here." Skylar answered her.

Harmony walked up to them from the kitchen and handed Addy a hot cup of what Sky figured was coffee. She had to nudge Dia to get her attention and handed her a mug also. Richie stood in front of his mom, her other hand resting on his shoulder.

"Nope! You now both have a place to rest your heads, somewhere to call your own!" Jazz almost shouted with excitement. "Ladies first! Alexis, this is your room. Sorry I haven't figured out how to keep the fish in yet. I'm working on it, but for the short term you'll want to keep your door closed." He grinned as he put his hand on the door handle. Sky saw that it was made of a beautiful iridescent choral. Jazz swung the door open and all the kids gasped. The room appeared to be under the sea. The air looked like water and the captured fish swam to and fro before them.

Alex stretched a hand out and touched the barrier that held back the water.

Jazz patted her back. "Don't worry, you can breathe in there. The water is an illusion. See?" He pointed to a rocky outcropping where Callen sat picking anemones out of his clothes. "Go on in!" When she gave him a hesitant look, Jazz stepped through the barrier and onto the white sands that defined the floor.

Alex looked up at John who smiled and took her hand and walked in with her. Sky followed behind. Once inside he was amazed at the space. The walls were like what he imagined the city of Atlantis would look like. There was a reef beyond a window. Sea shells sparkled on the walls and crystals grew, shining light everywhere. Jellyfish bounced and hovered above them as everyone entered. Clams with pearls huddled in small crevices, tiny fish bolted in and out of small holes in the walls and doorways. Seaweed extended its arms upwards and waved in the invisible gentle waves. Sea horses chased each other, playing in and out of the rock that upon closer inspection proved to be a large dresser.

The bed was huge. The frame was made from white spiral choral. The covers appeared to be a carpet of green moss. The pillows were the softest deep sea sponges he ever thought was possible. Alex turned and saw that the closet was the wreck of an ancient three mast sailing ship, the ripped and ragged sails ebbing and flowing in a silent graceful dance.

The room was beautiful.

"What happened, did Disney throw up in here?" Dia said a bit grumpy.

"I think this is pretty amazing!" Harmony was smiling as she looked around in awe. "You really outdid yourself this time Jazz."

"Watch out, coming through!" Ember yelled from behind. Her and Gypsy turned loose a couple of small seals and then closed the door behind them as they left again.

"I haven't figured out why the fish keep escaping." Jazz said thoughtfully. "That's why they were still crated. Well, until Bella decided she wanted sushi for a late night snack. I'd still like to know how she got in here…"

"Don't look at me, I wasn't here." John said sarcastically.

"Not me!" Billy added trying to keep a hold of the baby who was reaching for a sawfish that was swimming past.

"I was trying to find _you_." Harmony shrugged.

Addy laughed. "I was doing the final packing for John's surprise. The littlest ones were with me sneaking the cookies I was trying to hide."

"I'm sure that doesn't matter anymore." Dia sighed. "The crack team of critter hunters have been dragging them all back in."

"Which has been pretty nice. They are so caught up in catching the fish that they haven't caused any trouble for once." Addy smiled. "If I had known it would work, I'd have busted that crate much earlier."

"So do you like it?" Jazz asked apprehensively.

"It's very beautiful." Alex said.

"This room is the best room ever." Sky blurted out before he realized he had said it out loud.

"Well I hope you like your room then," Jazz smiled. "Come on, let's go take a look!"

They opened the door and carefully stepped out, trying to keep the sea life at bay. The younger twins threw a few halibut back in while it was opened then ran off with their nets to continue fishing. They all stood outside the second door on the opposite side of the hallway.

"Skylar, want to do the honors?" Jazz said encouragingly.

He looked up at John who still had a hold of Alex's hand. The tall man winked at him with a smile.

The door was black as night with a large diamond doorknob. Skylar turned it and let the door swing open. Sharp shafts of light stabbed into the darkness. He was almost afraid to step into the room; having no idea what the large Native American though was a great idea. Finally he took a deep breath and moved into the room with everyone behind him.

Skylar was amazed that the whole place was in black and white, like an old film you could still sometimes watch on TV. He heard Alex gasp and he turned and looked at her. She stared at everyone's clothes that had also turned to shades of grey. It was as if the room was able to suck the color from their very selves.

"This is sooooo cool!" Alex cooed.

"I call it Film Noir. But don't worry, when you go into your walk in closet, the normal color will return so you can still color coordinate your outfits." Jazz beamed, his white teeth and eyes shining in startling contrast to his dark skin.

"Jazz, I think you've watch the movie Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid too many times." Dia grunted.

Alex finally dropped John's hand and walked over to the dresser that had a harsh light and what looked like smoke as an atmospheric effect over it. She waved her hand and could move the smoke that didn't seem to come from anywhere in particular. She then moved over to the bed which was black silk sheets with black smooth blankets. The only reason Sky realized it was there was because Harmony bumped into it.

"I do have to say Jazz that you've really outdone yourself on these two rooms, and in such a short time." John slapped Jazz on the back.

"I agree Jazz," Dia said, sipping on what Skylar now knew was hot chocolate, "fantastic job."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"I just hope the kids like it." He turned to Alex and Sky again. "I can change it if you don't. It's okay to say if you aren't happy with it."

"Well," Alex started to say, glancing at Sky. "I… umm…"

"Let me guess," Sky giggled, "you want to trade rooms, am I wrong?"

Alexis smiled back. He had known her so long he could read her pretty well.

"I'm okay with that. The underwater room is wonderful and it fits me better, and this room fits you more." Skylar grinned at her. Alex's mocha skin looked like it was almost glowing in the room. He looked up at Jazz. "Is that okay Profess-, um, Jazz?"

With a wide beam he nodded, "Of course! As long as the rooms make you happy."

"Are you kidding, this room is awesome!" Alex breathed as she inspected the rest of the room. She held the replica Tommy gun, tried on the Fedora hat, and grinned madly at what looked like an outline of a human in what Sky figured was blood but was hard to tell in black and white.

"I think we should head back to the front room now," Jazz finally stated, "John has been working on a surprise as well." He slapped John on the back, harder than he had been slapped.

"Right, onto the next surprise!" John agreed, hitting Jazz back even harder.

"Yes, he's been planning this as long as I've been planning my surprise." Jazz again hit John even harder.

Sky watched as the women moved out of the room quickly before they ended up in the middle of the two men who were rapidly escalating. Billy also moved swiftly before he got dragged into it.

"Well John, what have you got for us?" Jazz went to hit the other man again but John ducked quickly and scored a hit instead in the gut.

Dia grabbed Sky and Alex and pulled them out of the way as John made a run for it out into the hallway and down to the front room. Sky noticed all the others had already scooted to the walls even though the hallway was fairly wide for a house. Apparently this sort of thing must go on all the time as no one seemed surprised to find John being held down on the couch by Jazz who was trying to get him back. Both were laughing as John shoved Jazz back and they both rolled to the floor.

"Hey John!" Jazz punctuated the sentence with a hit to the arm, "how's that surprise going?" followed by another one.

The taller man kicked Jazz's knees out from underneath him and scored a strike on his side as he went down. "It's just fine Jazz. I'm sure it will be a big hit." Another smack to Jazz's back and with his own weight, tried to pin the slightly heavier man to the ground.

"How long is this going to take boys? I'm getting tired." Dia sighed as she sat down on the recently vacated couch and put her feet up on the wrestling men. "I may just go to bed and see this surprise tomorrow."

That made both men immediately stop and sit up. "But you can't honey, we are leaving tonight." John said suddenly.

"Yeah, I've even got the portkey right here. It is set to leave in…" Jazz checked the clock on the shelf, "fifteen minutes. You can't sleep now. You'll miss all the fun!"

She sighed. "Then I suggest you two children let the other children in on the surprise so they can grab anything they need to before we go."

"Go where?" Jackie asked, almost exasperated.

"Yeah, go where?" The Cow and Mow copied.

From around the door came the rest of the small children, some with fake fish struggling in their hands. "Yeah, go where?" The younger children jumped on John and Jazz's laps in excitement, letting go of the aquatics and shouting to be told where they were going. Colonel dropped the eel in his muzzle and started barking along with the children's shouting. Bob even showed up and started to light off bottle rockets.

"Okay, okay, settle down and we'll tell you." John laughed. "And can someone take the pyrotechnics away from Bob? He's been in my bag again I see."

Addy held out her hand and Bob's face took on a frown as he handed the rest of the bottle rockets over. As she turned to hand them over to John Bob pulled out a packet of firecrackers and lit them. He quickly dropped them and ran over to Ember to be picked up as they made a fantastic noise.

"Remind me to search you before we leave Bob," John waggled a finger at the little furry beast but then smiled at Ember and gave her a kiss.

"So where are we going dad?" Ember asked, holding Bob who was pulling silly faces at the younger twins.

"Yeah Warden. We saw the tent when we had to get the sea snake out of the large pack in your room. Where we going camping?"

"We're going camping?" Richie repeated. "I thought you said earlier this week it was too late in the season for that."

"Well," John smiled, "It just so happens that this weekend is supposed to be unseasonably warm on the Irish coast."

Dia raised her eyebrow.

"Yes, honey, you heard right. I've already got our spot, the one from so many years ago. Near where you were born. Remember?

"Oh, I remember alright. Isn't that the time when Addy ended up pregnant with Callen?" Dia smiled and snickered at Addison.

"Well no worries there. Dumbass already knocked me up. So we're fine. But what I remember the most was the skinny dipping incident."

"I'm sure the water will be wayyyyyy too cold for that to happen again." Dia chuckled as John turned red. "Wait, Addy, us getting caught naked was more memorable than getting knocked up by Billy? Wow Billy. Maybe you need to talk to John and take notes."

All the kids were giggling and snickering by now. Sky couldn't help but smile as he watched both John and Billy turn deep shades of red.

"I could teach him a thing or two you know." Jazz interrupted.

"No you can't dear." Harmony said offhanded, then when she saw the struck look on his face, burst out laughing.

"Okay okay okay! No one needs to teach me anything!" Billy shouted over the laughter.

"I don't know about that…" Addy whispered but everyone heard it.

Billy started gasping in mock shock.

Dia started laughing hysterically and gave a quick snort which got John laughing at her.

"Fine. You all just wait. I'll redeem my manhood on this trip." Billy harrumphed.

"Oh, god Billy, are we going to have to listen to it?" Dia barely could say between breaths.

"Don't worry about it Dia. I hear it is over with pretty quick. Not sure you'll have time to even know it's happening." Harmony giggled.

"Addy, do you get enough time to know it happened?" Dia gasped.

"Well…"

"ADDISON!" Billy shouted across the room. Everyone was almost in tears as she finally walked over and put her arms around his neck.

"Yes, Billy. You are my hot hunk of stallion."

"Technically," Jazz put a finger in the air, "I'm the only real stallion in the room."

"Shut it Jazz before I kill you." Billy hushed the other man. When John opened his mouth Billy shushed him too. "I think we'd better all just walk away right now. Grab anything you may need kids, we won't be back till Sunday."

"What about Bella?" Melody asked.

"Everyone can go. I've spelled the campground to not let anyone out without the password." John smiled as he stood up and pulled Dia off the couch, still holding Ember and Bob. "That way, the pets can't leave the camp unless accompanied by a person with the password that will change so don't think you two are sneaking out of the camp." He tickled Ember, then reached down and tickled Gypsy. Ember held out Bob and John smiled, tickling the gnome as well. Gypsy held up her arms and John reached down and picked her up. He leaned over and gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. "I already packed our things. And I know you still have the two trunks for Alexis and Skylar so they are pretty much ready to go."

"Tell me you at least packed more than just my bikini." Dia laughed. He only wiggled his eyebrows in response.

"Don't worry Dia, I double checked his packing. And I already packed the kids all up. It is all out on the back porch waiting to go. He had to let me in on the secret or else it would end up like when he surprised us with the camping trip to France. Remember that? We got there and there wasn't any food packed?"

"Oh yeah, and we sent the boys to the local store to buy something and after four hours we had to leave the kids with Harmony while we went and bailed them out of jail." Dia nodded.

"Hey, that STILL isn't my fault I tell you." Jazz yelled over the others.

"Anyway," Addy sighed with laugher, "I verified everything is good to go. So unless any of the children want to grab anything… like guns or swords or stuff…"

The kids all ran out of the room to grab last minute things, leaving Alex and Sky starting at the adults. Ember and Gypsy whispered back and forth then wanted down, running out of the room as well. John pursed his lips.

"Maybe I should follow them…"

"Oh, wait! I know something I need to bring!" Jazz suddenly stood up and ran out of the room.

"Maybe I should follow him…" Harmony said thoughtfully as they all snickered.

"Who do you think could do the worst damage? The Trouble Twins or Jazz?" Billy asked to no one in particular.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Addy sighed. She glanced down at Alex and Sky. "And don't worry, when John told me of the trip I got you two a few things also. Extra large water guns, swim suits, swords and other essentials for camping."

"Um, we don't know how to swim." Sky said back to her.

"No worries there," John winked at them, "we'll teach you. That and how to do other important camping things, like-"

"How to bail husbands out of jail." Dia blurted out.

"How to save dinner when it gets accidentally dropped in the fire that suddenly becomes a bond fire when you aren't looking." Addy said.

"How to stake idiot males that have started a water fight in the tent and gotten all the blankets and clothing wet out in the sand." Harmony added.

"How to kick the crap out of idiot men who get lost in the woods when they get drunk and decide it is a great time to go for a hike at 2am." Dia threw in.

"How to calm down scared children after the men tell scary stories at bedtime around the fire." Harmony pointed at John.

"Do you get the feeling they are talking about us Bill?" John asked rhetorically.

"They are women. They are always talking about us John."

"Yeah, I gathered that."

"Ten minutes everyone." Addy smiled. "I would suggest everyone use the bathroom now if you need to go. The tent as a bathroom but only one for all of us."

"Um, Addy?" Skylar said tentatively, "How can a tent have a bathroom?"

"Oh just wait till you see the tent John bought us. He had to upgrade it after the last time."

"I still say that was Jazz's fault, not mine." Billy blurted out. "He was the one who said he could juggle fire."

Chapter 7

Roughing It

"What possessed you to think of using women's pantyhose as a portkey?" John asked Jazz as they landed in the soft dirt just beyond the sands leading to the open ocean.

"It would stretch big enough for everyone to be able to hold onto while carrying all our stuff. I thought it was brilliant."

John sighed. "You would." He tried to hide a smile as he turned to Dia who was making a quick head count of kids and critters.

Richie looked around and watched the ocean for a moment in the slightly less than full moon light. It rolled in and out with such power and force, the crushing crescendo reaching his ears and whispering for him to come closer to feel its fingers caress his feet. He shook his head, realizing just how very tired he really was.

Alex stood next to him, holding onto the handle of the new trunk his mom had bought her, not sure what to do. He smiled at her weakly.

"You don't have to hold onto the trunk anymore. After dad and the others get the tent up, then we'll move the stuff in. Of course it will only be a minute or so before mom comes around and tries to wrap us up tightly in blankets so we don't get cold…"

"All the adults sure make references to sex a lot." She said. Skylar was on her other side and nodded in agreement.

"I suppose. Does it bother you?" Richie asked. He had never really thought about it much.

"Well, when our parents talked about it, well, it made us uncomfortable. It seemed so dirty, nasty. But when your parents-"

"Our parents now," Richie smiled.

"Our new parents talk about it, well, it's different. I don't know how." She finished.

Skylar turned to her. "Because Alex, my mom is a prostitute. For her, sex is dirty, nasty, a way to an end. To make money. Your parents used it as a weapon. When your mom didn't do as your dad said, he forced himself on her. But here in this house, it isn't like that. That's why it seems so different."

Richie was quiet, not sure how to respond. He knew something had been up with Sky's mom, but he didn't know exactly what. He didn't know what to say, so decided to say nothing.

"I guess you are right Sky. It doesn't bother me when they joke back and forth, or when someone kisses their husband or wife passionately. It seems somehow okay."

"At first it made me nervous when everyone seemed to be so harsh to each other, but I realized it is their way of showing affection often. They laugh with each other, not at another. That was a big thing for me." Sky said as he, too, ended up staring out to sea.

"Everyone kisses a lot, don't they?" Alex asked, staring for a moment at Jazz and Harmony who were kissing before Jazz helped Billy and John pull out a large tent and set about putting it up.

"I would say so. And touching. Holding hands, arms around each other. That sort of thing." Skylar noted.

"Are they not supposed to be?" Richard asked curiously.

"I don't know." Sky answered with a shrug. "Our last home wasn't exactly what you would think was normal. Do most family behave this way?"

"Not sure. But our family isn't any normal family. We always take the time to tell each other how we feel and stuff because at any moment, they could be dead." Richard's eyes returned to the ocean. He could feel the other two's eyes on him but he continued staring far away. He was secretly glad that his parents had told the Ministry that under no circumstances were they to be bothered, that they were on vacation with their family. One weekend he wouldn't have to worry about something killing one or both of them.

"So, can you believe the Stanton boys actually tried something again? I'm so glad the headmistress showed up." Skylar said, obviously changing the subject.

"Yeah, about that, sorry about us arguing. I hope it didn't upset you." Richie said to Alex with a glance.

"What, you three sounding like actual siblings for once? I was starting to think you were all pod people." She smiled back at him.

"Yeah, how come you all don't argue more? Most brothers and sisters do." Sky asked.

"We don't because what if that was the last words you ever said to that person? And it really upsets everyone. One time Jackie and I really got into a bad fight and it made my mom cry. I'm not sure why but we've never argued like that again."

"Is it because your mom lost so many people when she was young? Your mom and dad, Addison, so many people died including your namesake. And now that they are Aurors…" Alex looked at him and suddenly dropped her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to upset you. I really am sorry Richie."

"It's okay. And yeah, mom seemed to lose everyone near her. That stopped after she lost…him. But I believe as they do, tell people how you feel now because there may not be a tomorrow." He shrugged, not sure what else to say.

They stood there in silence and listened to the sounds of the men putting up the tents, arguing about who was doing what. He could hear his mom lean over and whisper to Addison.

"So how long are we going to let them go on until we give them back the instructions?"

Addy grinned. "Are you kidding? Bob gave those to me. I think that makes them mine, right?"

"Yeah, but we wait too long and the sun will be up Addy. I'm dreadfully tired."

"Give it, say, ten more minutes. Then I'll give up the booklet. Or maybe I'll just do the enchantment myself. I haven't decided yet."

"I take it Bob has grown on you?"

"Yeah, it was so cute. He cut me a bouquet of flowers earlier today. Of course they were Billy's prize roses and filled with horkalumps, but still sweet nonetheless."

"You know, you could just let Ember read the book and give her a wand. That would really stun the men."

"Oh, now that has possibilities."

The two women chuckled. After another minute Dia started moving.

"I had better make sure everyone is warm. Not much point making a bond fire this late at night. Don't want everyone catching their deaths while we wait for the three idiots to figure out something's missing."

Richie nudged Alex softly. "I told you she'd be around trying to smother us in blankets or clothing."

"I don't mind," Skylar mumbled, "it's nice that someone cares enough to worry about us."

They heard Dia walking up beside them. She immediately touched and stroked Richard's hair. He thought about what Sky had said about touching. It always made him feel so much better. He couldn't imagine living without it.

"Are you guys cold? I have the sleeping bags and some extra blankets and coats for you all." She said, searching each of their faces.

"No ma'am." Skylar said. "We're fine. We don't want to create a mess and get things dirty before they can be moved into the tents."

"Nonsense. There isn't anything here that can't be cleaned, and just wait till we leave on Sunday. You've never seen a mess of a place until you've seen right before we start packing back up." She smiled warmly.

A pair of sparkles made their way towards them. In the moonlight they could make out Bob who was wearing a cheerleading outfit and sporting sparklers in each hand. He seemed to be trying to do a cheer but wasn't sure how. Finally he turned back and watched as Ember and Gypsy approached.

"No Bob. You forgot the C in YMCA. That's why it didn't seem right." Ember said to the gnome.

Colonel wandered up behind them, searching the dark for anything that might creep up on them. Richie understood more and more why his dad didn't have a problem with the dog. And he was certain that both Bob and Colonel were 'special' as Gypsy claimed.

"You girls getting cold?" Dia asked.

"Nope. It is colder closer to the water but dad's spell makes it so we can't go get any of it." Ember stated flatly, clearly disappointed that she couldn't get wet.

"We thought we'd show the Warden Bob's new outfit and let him cheer on them as they destroyed the tent." Gypsy added.

"What makes you think they are going to destroy the tent? They've gone camping before, I'm sure they can figure it out." Jackie said as she approached, followed by the rest of the kids.

"I saw the instructions." Ember said.

"Come on Bob, let's go show them your cartwheel." Gypsy motioned for the gnome. The little round man dropped the now spent sparklers and grabbed two more from Embers hand and lit them before starting across the ground towards the grown men who had stopped to discuss the tent situation.

Addy watched Bob walk by and then lifted him up onto a rock to be seen better. She cleared her throat and the three men turned around.

Bob went into a wild frenzy of gyrations and twists and turns. He did a few cartwheels and several attempts at jumps with his stubby legs finally ending the routine in the splits. Everyone clapped for him appreciatively. Gypsy walked over to him, reminding Bob to bow. He gave her a dirty look and curtsied instead.

John chuckled, and then a thought visibly struck him. "Wait, Bob was in my bag earlier. He didn't by chance see the instruction manual did he? Or maybe 'borrow' it?"

"Well," Addy chuckled, "that didn't take you near as long as I was starting to fear it would." She pulled the small booklet out of her robe pocket and flapped it in the wind.

John chuckled while Jazz hit himself on the forehead. Billy just looked around like he was an accidental tourist or something, innocent of anything, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. John moseyed over to Addison and put his hand out for the book.

"But this is mine. A little admirer of mine gave it to me."

"I'll trade you a hug for it."

Addison pretended to think about it for a second then finally smiled as John put his arms around her and hugged her close. She wrapped her arms around him for a minute then let him have the booklet. He kissed her forehead and then stepped back, flipping open the book, reading it. Suddenly he burst out laughing as he pulled his wand out.

"Stand back everyone. It is a self-setting up tent."

Billy threw his hands up in the air in a fluster. "Of course it is. We were only inspecting it for holes. Yeah, holes. Right Jazz?"

"Oh, yes, inspecting it. That's our story and we're sticking to it." Jazz agreed as he stepped back and wrapped his arms around Harmony who was giggling at them.

"Sure you were Bill. Sure." Addy shook her head. "Come here and give me a kiss you Neanderthal of a man."

Billy beat at his chest as he walked over to her, grabbing her in his arms like a wild man, grunting and gesturing.

"Huh, is that what sex is like for you Addy?" Dia snickered.

"Ug! Me man! Me bring home meat for woman!" Billy beat his chest more.

"Ug. You idiot. You better start loading our stuff into tent before big woman beats your ass." Addy smirked at him, then laughed and gave him a kiss.

John waved the wand and chanted the spell "Statue tabernaculum!"

Immediately the tent jumped off the ground, the poles shooting into their respective places and the sides puffing out in size. Richie was impressed as it looked like it was quite possibly a two story tent. It had four smoke stacks that started putting out smoke, warming the insides of the tent. Light shined out of several windows on both floors.

"Well, shall we?" John smiled. He waved his wand again and all the luggage they brought with them leapt up and swept into the tent entrance.

Everyone started moving towards the doorway, the children running and entering first. John stood to the side and counted heads and tails as they all trouped up and in, Dia hanging back to stand at his side with his arm wrapped around her.

"Hey, you didn't smother the kids all in blankets this time." John teased her.

"If you had taken any longer I would have." She nudged him playfully back. "Then you would have been next, but I couldn't promise any air holes."

Richie ducked inside and was amazed at how warm it was already. Alex and Sky were stunned, staring around.

"This tent is bigger than our old apartment Sky."

He just nodded in agreement, shocked.

"Is that a kitchen?" Alex pointed to the right.

Richard's eyes followed where she was pointing. The kitchen was small of course, but he knew the table would magically extend as they used it. Not that they would probably ever sit around the camp table when there would most likely be a roaring bond fire outside instead. He looked at Alex. "Why wouldn't there be a kitchen?"

"Because this is a tent?" She answered him, giving him a strange look.

"All of our tents had a kitchen."

"Had?"

"Well, until they were destroyed in one unfortunate accident or another." Richie shrugged. "Personally, I think it was each time an excuse to get a bigger tent. This family just keeps growing."

Everyone had wandered into the entrance of the tent and stood around admiring the comfy setting. Billy threw himself down into a couch to the right beside one of the many fireplaces.

John and Dia stood in the back; he gave her a tender kiss on the side of her face and whispered something in her ear that made her smile. Richie caught the roll of eyes that Jackie did before she turned to wander farther back.

Finally John cleared his throat. "Okay, there are five rooms. One for each couple, and one large one for the boys and one large one for the girls. Those are all upstairs. According to the instructions there are actually two bathrooms, one on each floor. That's good news. Downstairs is the kitchen, front room, coat closet, extra storage and pantry. I know there isn't a whole lot of room so try to be extra sensitive to others."

"Thinking of being extra sensitive," Billy narrowed his eyes, "whose room is next to yours? I would hate to have the kids hear anything from you guys, but I don't want to be next to you either!"

"Oh, hahaha Bill. It isn't like we disturb you all anyway."

"No, you guys sneak off." Jazz wiggled his eyebrows at them.

"I'd call that a courtesy." John smirked.

"I'd call it flagrant indecent exposure if you are caught." Addy sighed. "Luckily not too many others should be out camping this late in the year." She looked around and back to John and Dia. "But it is late, well," she checked her watch, "early now. I'm tired and Dia looks positively dreadful. I'm sure the older children such as Jazz will be up pretty early so we all better head off to bed."

Everyone nodded.

"Billy, can you and Jazz get the kids into bed?" Addy asked. "Harm, can you make sure everyone has a small bedtime snack? Make sure all the critters have something too or they'll be up early getting into the food. John and I will go outside and verify the charms and protections."

"What do you want mom to do Auntie Addy?" Richie asked.

"She will kill anyone that doesn't hustle to bed. You all know she won't sleep till you are all tucked in and she looks pretty grumpy." Addy responded. One look at his mom, and Richie didn't doubt it.

"Well, let's be about it."

Light filtered softly through the window by her bed as Jackie lay under her covers trying to get back to sleep. It took her a few moments to figure out what it was that awoke her as such an early hour. She listened intently as the two Trouble Twins slid quietly out of their respective beds and Colonel's claws clicked lightly on the hard wood floors of the tent.

Before they went out the door, Jackie heard them stop and start searching for something. She felt a tug at her own covers as she peeked her head out from underneath. Bob stood on her pillow looking down at her and held out his hand.

Jackie sighed.

She had taken his lighter away from him last night so he would stop setting off nicked fireworks before Auntie Dia strangled him.

Her hand fished under her pillow for a moment until her fingers found the tiny flint. Giving the small gnome a glare and a silent message about making noise this early, she handed over the lighter. For a split second she thought about talking to the girls about Bob wearing a tiny tiger stripped string bikini this early in the morning but she thought better of it.

When she was left alone again she thought about what she had overheard from Alex and Sky just hours ago. The two hardly ever talked about their old families, it caused them too much pain so everyone had decided to wait till they were ready to talk about it. And after the small admission last night she could see why.

She tried to imagine what life had been like for them. It would be nice to have the freedom to go anywhere and do anything without anyone noticing or caring. Then she frowned. It was hard to imagine being so completely alone, it also meant no one to tuck her in, to make her favorite snacks, to give her hugs when she needed them.

Of course it also meant that she could use the bathroom anytime without it always being occupied. Their house had five bathrooms, one in each of the adult's rooms and two for the kids to share, plus the one in the tree house for emergencies. It still never seemed to be enough.

Being alone though meant she could go exploring without having to figure out what the stupid password that her Uncle John would keep coming up with and tease them before he would tell them what it was. But alone also meant that if there was trouble that no one would be there to save her.

She thought about being alone and exploring fantastic places, digging up buried treasure and stuff. Maybe finding Merlin's lost staff. That would be exciting. But then she realized she immediately thought about showing it to her parents, to her aunts and uncles and siblings. If she didn't have family, who would she turn to with her prize? She would be famous, in all the newspapers and stuff. But having the nameless masses fawning over her accomplishments didn't seem to mean as much as being able to show it to someone like… Richard.

With a huge sigh she rolled over in her bed and pulled the covers back over her head, trying to squeeze out the early morning light. Why did her brain have to go there? Why would she possibly care if Richie saw her accomplishments or not. It was so very stupid.

She heard a pan drop downstairs and the dog yelp. She started to get out of bed then decided against it. The girls were just swiping food again. Jackie decided to think about something different. Maybe her new drawing book. She still hadn't decided if she was going to change the first couple of pages. Ember and Gypsy had drawn her name in it for her with various threats if anyone tried to touch it without her permission, complete with childish drawings of trolls and such. Gypsy had tried to draw Colonel and Bob too, but she wasn't gifted with the same art skills that she herself had.

A crashing from downstairs pulled her out of her thoughts again. It had sounded like a shelf in the pantry had given way. This time she couldn't resist, she slipped out of bed and put her feet into her slippers and grabbed her housecoat.

In the hallway she saw her mom rubbing her eyes and emerging from their room.

"Don't worry mom, it is just Em and Gyp getting breakfast. They probably had to climb shelves to get the cereal. I'll check it out, go back to bed. You don't get to sleep in very often." Jackie said with a smile.

Her mom eyed her, weighing the options. Finally she sighed and pulled Jackie in for a hug.

"Thanks sweetie."

Jackie decided moments like this made all the ones that annoyed her about living in such a large family worth it. "I love you mom."

"I love you too Jackie. You are growing up so fast you know. Becoming such a wonderful woman. Some days I just want to hold onto you and never let you go."

"Everyone has to grow up sometime I guess mom."

Her mom sighed. "Tell that to your dad. And Jazz and John. I don't think they got that memo."

Slowly she slid back from the hug but still held on around her mom's waist. "Thinking about children, why did you let them leave the image of Bob on the back of dad's head?"

Addy's face contorted, trying to hold back a grin. "Oh, I don't know honey. I guess because it amuses Dia and I. John was going to tell him but we wouldn't let him. It took some convincing to get Harm not to tell him either. But I'm sure he knows something is up. Your dad is smarter than he lets on. I would hazard a guess that he's planning some payback."

"On the Trouble Twins?"

"Oh, gosh no. On John and Jazz."

"Why don't they ever stop going after each other. Richie acts more grownup than they do."

Addy rubbed the side of her daughter's face. "I hope they don't stop. Not only does it give us girls endless amounts of entertainment, but the day they don't go out of their way to pick on each other is either the day this family starts breaking up, or the day they all start to grow too old to live."

Jackie frowned, thinking about it. "I guess I just hope my future husband acts more like a man and less like a little boy."

"Oh, trust me, as you get older you'll enjoy a man that makes you laugh till you cry. The power of laughter is an amazing thing."

"I guess so." Jackie shrugged.

"Well I know so. I've cried till I didn't want to live anymore before. Your dad or the boys always have a way of making things better even in the darkest of nights. If it wasn't for laughter, I'm not sure your Aunt Dia would even be alive."

"Are you saying laughter is more powerful than love?"

Her mom's fingers carefully tucked a stray lock of Jackie's hair behind her ear for her. "I'm saying that without one, the other can't really exist. They both set your heart free. Make life worth living."

Jackie just shrugged again. Her mom pulled her in tight for another hug then kissed her forehead.

Behind her mother Jackie could hear Serenity in the portable crib start whining. The woman heaved a huge sigh and rubbed Jackie on the back. "Sounds like I'm being paged. So much for sleeping in."

From the room that was across the hall from the girls' Callen stepped out yawning.

"What are you doing up at this hour sweetie?" Addy asked the boy.

"I heard Serenity. I thought I'd take her so you and dad could sleep in. I might have to borrow Colonel from the girls though."

"They are downstairs getting into breakfast." Jackie said. "I'd better be getting down there before Bob eats it all. I can't believe how much that little potato can eat."

She gave her mom's hands a quick squeeze then wandered to the stairs. She hurried a little faster when she heard something heavy hit the floors down below.

As she came around the corner at the bottom of the stairs she became aware of the smell of something burning. And it wasn't the fireplaces.

Another crashing of what sounded like dishes quickened her steps and she slid around the corner to the kitchen and stopped in horror.

The kitchen was trashed. Flour was everywhere. Broken dishes littered the counter and floor. Eggs were broken and dripped from the open refrigerator door, Colonel was lapping up the milk that puddled beneath the chair that Gypsy was standing on. Bob had a small kitchen knife and was cutting up assorted bananas, strawberries, papaya, guava, oranges, watermelon and carrots and tossing them into a bowl that had a batter in it. Gypsy scooped up some of the batter with her hands and dropped it onto a hot griddle that was turned up all the way. Next to her was a plate partially full of half burned, half oozing pancakes.

Ember was setting the table with small saucers which were the only thing not broken. She had placed chopsticks next to each one and shot glasses that had some dark brown cloudy liquid in them. Assorted rocks, broken sea shells and a few hermit crabs littered the table and chairs.

"Gyp, I still think streamers and sparklers would set the ensemble up nicely." Ember complained over her shoulder as she started setting wild flowers and weeds in bowls on the table, trying to figure out how to arrange them correctly.

"No, they might make too much noise too early and wake everyone up before we are ready." Gypsy said back, searching around her. "I can't find the bacon."

"I thought it was still a little frozen so I put it in the toaster oven to warm up. That worked on my shoes."

"Oh, okay."

Behind her Jackie heard Callen approaching holding Serenity who was gurgling with her fist in her mouth. Even the baby stopped and stared at the mess.

"Hey Em, I need help heating up the muffins. The toast is in the oven so how can I warm the muffins we found?"

Ember stopped mangling the flowers and mixed grasses and scratched the back of her head for a moment in thought. "Um, oh I know. I'll put them in the fireplace so the flames can heat them up. That worked for my slippers."

Jackie cleared her throat. "That's because your slippers are spelled to be flame retardant."

Ember smiled at Jackie. "Good morning! We're making breakfast for everyone!"

As Gypsy turned to look also she knocked the bowl of batter onto the floor, barely missing Colonel's head. It splattered all over the dog and the lower cupboards.

"Oh darn, I'll have to make another batch now. And I used the last of the cayenne pepper too. What other spice is red Ember?"

"How would I know, I haven't looked. Give me a second." Ember trotted past Jackie and Callen and went to the pantry. It looked like a tornado had hit it. Ember picked up, examined, and then dropped different small bottles of spices that lay scattered on the floor.

"Why red?" Callen asked. When Jackie gave him a withering look he just shrugged. "I'm curious."

"We decided today was a red day, full of fun and excitement!" Gypsy giggled, her hair pulsating with different shades of red.

"How about red curry or red chili, or…" She worked at trying to make out the ruined label of another bottle, "paprika, that's red too."

"I recognize mommy saying something about paprika. Let's try that." Gypsy said, grabbing another bowl from the mostly bare cupboard above her.

"Gypsy, I think you need to stop. This mess needs to be cleaned up." Jackie said, crossing her arms in front of her.

"But we're not done yet!" Gypsy yelled.

More footsteps came down the stairs. "What's the noise down here… oh my god!" Melody gasped, looking at the kitchen. Cadence grabbed his mouth and covered it. Behind them the smaller set of twins pushed their way through and scowled.

"Hey, we could have helped Em." Aria growled.

"And then breakfast would have been done faster." Added Jubilee.

"We wanted to do something special for everyone." Ember said.

"And you two were still sleeping." Gypsy nodded her head.

"You could have woke us up." Jubilee seemed to be getting angry, raising his voice.

"What the hell?" Richie's voice rumbled. Jackie could hear Alexis gasp and Skylar try to stop from laughing.

"Oh, we need to get this cleaned before-" Jackie started to say.

"Before what?" Dia's voice sounded clear in the morning air. She walked around the children and glanced at the kitchen. Jackie held her breath as the woman walked into the kitchen, stepped over the dog and rummaged through the top of the pantry. She quickly found a small box and opened it, pulling out a maple doughnut. Dia then went to the refrigerator and picked out the second gallon of milk, found a coffee mug, poured herself some milk, replaced the gallon in the refrigerator. She used one of the placemats that were on the floor by the table to wipe her bare feet on.

"Gypsy, I'd go with cinnamon and food coloring. Ember, I think the flowers are a nice touch. I would add some three leaf clover though since we are in Ireland." As she passed the kids again she nodded. "Good morning everyone. I'm going back to bed." And a moment later she was gone.

"Um, okay. So now what?" Melody asked, turning to Jackie.

"I think we need to still clean this mess up." Jackie said, wishing she hadn't left her wand upstairs.

"I thought we aren't allowed to do magic outside of Hogwarts now." Cadence said cautiously.

"No, dad said something about this being a field trip for all of us. So I think we are okay. Besides, we have two professors and two aurors here and not a muggle in sight." Jackie said thoughtfully.

The kids all looked at each other with foreboding as they heard another heavier set of footsteps practically running down the stairs. A moment later John rounded the bottom of the stairs and ran down the short hallway to the kitchen. He was in his black pajamas and robe that matched his wife's.

"Scamp, Firebug, I see you've been busy this morning, haven't you?" He sighed, eyeing the room. He gave a quick smile to the other children. "Oh, and an early good morning to you all as well. It's a beautiful day outside. Why don't you all go out and have some fun or maybe gather firewood for a bonfire later, okay? I'll get this squared away and make sure everyone has breakfast."

"You sure you don't need some help?" Jackie asked, worriedly.

"Um, nah, it'll be fine. The girls just want to make breakfast, so I think after a quick cleanup we can restart this again before the others get up."

"Can we help Uncle John?" The younger twins said together.

"Well, um…"

"It's okay warden, they can help since they're up already." Gypsy said, flicking batter off her fingers at the wall, her flashing red hair dripping with it also.

"I guess the more the merrier." John shrugged and pulled his wand out of his robe pocket.

"Can we have wands and help clean up too daddy?" Ember grinned as she ran over to him.

"Um, I only have my wand Firebug."

"We will go borrow mommy and daddy's wands!" The younger set of twins giggled and ran off.

John yelled after them, "Fine, but don't tell them why. Try to keep this quiet, okay?"

"Okay!" They both yelled back down the hallway as they raced to the stairwell.

With a deep sigh he turned back to the kitchen.

Gypsy jumped down from the chair she had been standing on and both her and Ember ran for the stairs.

"Hold on the two of you," he called to them. "Where are you going?"

"To grab mommy and daddy's wands too so we can help!" Gypsy giggled.

"Ug. Well, oh man your mom is gonna kill me." John scratched the back of his head. He looked at the table. "Oh, Firebug?"

"Yes daddy?"

"I like the flowers, but why the chopsticks?"

"I heard mom say we should try new things once in a while. So I thought we could start with chopsticks. That's something new."

"Oh, okay, and what is in the shot glasses?"

"That is coffee with cream and hot chocolate. When we tried making the coffee the way Auntie Addy did, we couldn't find the scoop she used so I found a measuring cup. Gyp thought it smelled really strong and so that makes it shots of espresso."

"Um, sure." He sighed again and then stopped and sniffed the air. The two girls disappeared up the stairs.

"What you are smelling," Jackie pointed, "is probably the bacon. I heard they put it in the toaster oven. And they are trying to make toast in the oven." She smiled at John. "You sure you don't want me to go get Auntie Harm? Something tells me there needs to be a trip to the store."

"Um, well…" he continued scratching the back of his head. "I hate to make her get out of bed so early too. They often don't get to sleep in as well."

"Don't worry about it Johnny," Harmony yawned from the bottom of the stairwell, "when the twins tried to snag our wands I figured I'd better come down and see what's going on." She had the younger twins on her heels.

"Sorry about that Harm. I told them to be quiet." He apologized.

"That's what woke me up. Them trying to be sneaky." She stopped and looked at the mess, rubbing her face harshly. "Oh, man. I need coffee."

"I think that is what is supposed to be in the shot glasses." He said helpfully.

She eyed the glasses suspiciously then glanced back at John. "So you were going to clean up the mess and then try to make breakfast?"

"Sure, how hard can it be? I used to cook for us every once in a while."

"Not on this scale. And I don't remember you ever making pancakes."

"That's because Dia likes French Toast more."

"I think I'd better help." Harmony sighed. The smaller twins put out their hands and she smiled and gave them the wands.

"Thanks Harm." He smiled and gave her a hug.

Ember and Gypsy ran back into the room each sporting a wand. "Okay daddy, we're ready!"

Jackie rubbed her eyes. "I'm going back to bed."

**Jackie turned and headed back up the stairs. Half way up she met her mother who was on her way down. **

"**I thought you were going to go back to sleep." Jackie asked. "I know you could use some more sleep. I heard Serenity up quite a few times last night."**

"**I was, but when I laid down, all I could do was stair at the ceiling. So I decide that it was time to get up." Addy smiled at Jackie. "Besides, it was your dad that got up with the baby. He wouldn't let me even once." **

"**That explains the awful singing I heard. I thought it was Uncle Jazz singing in his sleep again." Jackie giggled. Addy pushed another stray strand of hair out of Jackie's face. **

"**Don't tell me you are going back to bed. You don't want to miss out on any of the fun do you?" Addy raised an eyebrow at the young girl.**

"**I was thinking about it, but I think I am going to get dressed and comb my hair. Do you think that Auntie Dia will be up soon? I would really like for her to braid my hair, the way she does hers." Jackie looked up the stairs as she asked.**

"**I am not sure sweetie. You know she and Uncle John don't get much uninterrupted sleep." Addy said thoughtfully.**

"**Oh I won't wake her." Jackie knew that was what her mother was hinting at. A loud clatter of pots and pans came from the kitchen. **

"**I had better get in there before there isn't a kitchen left." Addy quickly hugged Jackie and hurried down the stairs.**

**Jackie bounded up the remaining stairs to the girls room. Putting on her swimming suit first, she dressed quickly. To her surprise she found the bathroom empty. She carefully brushed her hair, and then her teeth. She was heading down the hall when her dad stepped out of his room almost running her over. **

"**Oh I am sorry little girl, I didn't see you there." He smiled warmly at her his eyes dancing. "Now let me see, which one are you." He tapped his chin as if he was thinking. "That's right you are Melody. My you have changed. You look an awful lot like my wife!" He said in mocking surprise. **

"**Dad!" Jackie rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms in front of her. "That was funny when I was five but now, not so much." **

"**Oh, okay. I will try to remember that. But wait, you mean you're not five anymore. Just how old are you now?" He smiled at her.**

"**Dad, come on." Jackie sighed.**

"**Okay, okay." He grabbed her and hugged her. "You are Jackie and you are eleven." He squeezed her tighter. "But can you do me a favor and not get any older? It is getting really hard for your old man to watch his baby girl turn into a young lady." His voice was tender, and Jackie could tell he wasn't trying to be funny.**

"**Well unless you can find a way back to the past, or a way to turn back time, I don't think I can stop getting older." Jackie hugged him tighter. "But Daddy you know I will always be your little girl." She looked up and smiled at him. "And your keeper!" She giggled.**

"**Hey now! I will get you for that one!" Billy tried to sound angry, but it never worked. "I resemble that remark." He chuckled and started tickling Jackie. She squirmed and giggled in his arms. He hugged her tightly again. She squeezed him back. **

"**Ily Daddy." Jackie smiled at him, wiggled out of his arms and rushed down stairs.**

**Jackie saw that the kitchen was back in order. Addy flipped pancakes as John tended the bacon. Most of the children were sitting at the table. Aunt Harmony was no longer in the room which Jackie found a little curious because she loved to help with meals when she could. Callen sat at the table, holding a very disgruntled looking Serenity on his lap. Bob had taken over the baby's high chair, and would not give it up. Every time Ember would try to take him from the chair, he would let out a scream that sounded uncannily like Serenity. Serenity covered her ears and glared at Bob.**

"**You know little man, if looks could kill, that one would have you stone cold and six feet under." John chuckled at Bob. Bob's eyes got wide. Addy walked over to the gnome. **

"**Come on." She reached out to him. "This chair is far too big for you anyway. Let's see if we can find something a little more your size." Bob crossed his arms and shook his head back and forth. Then to everyone's surprise he blurted out very clear. **

"**NO!"**

**Addy looked at the little furry potato, shook her finger at him. "Don't you tell me no!" Then she covered her mouth, dropped her hands and smiled. "His first words!" She squealed with excitement.**

**Just then Billy joined them. "Um, I didn't think Garden Gnomes could talk." He eyed Bob with great curiosity.**

"**You don't listen very well Uncle Billy. Gyp says he is special. Hey Gyp add that to the list of things we need to work on with your Daddy." Ember was very matter of fact.**

"**You keep a list?" Billy said in shock. **

"**Yup, here in this little black book." Gypsy waved it at him from the other end of the table. "How else do you think we remember stuff about everyone? I mean we can do a lot of things daddy, but it is hard to keep track of all the people in this family."**

"**Let me see that." Billy grabbed the book out of Gypsy's hand. Sat down and started to flip through the pages.**

**Jackie took a seat between Sky and Richie. Richie leaned over and whispered to Jackie. "See. What did I tell you? They are going to be working for the Mob in no time!" **

"**Are you kidding? They are gonna be running it." Jackie laughed.**

**Addy scooped up Bob, and hugged him. "I would have to agree with Gypsy." Bob smiled at Addy, and hugged her back. "Now let's go see if we can find you a better fitting chair. Billy please watch the pancakes for me." Addy leaned over to kiss Billy before she left the kitchen, but Bob got between them and pushed Billy away. **

"**NO!" Bob shouted.**

**Billy glared at Bob. "Oh isn't he cute." Addy cooed at Bob.**

"**Ummm, No. Not so much." Billy grumbled.**

"**Now Billy be nice." Addy furrowed her brow at Billy. "Now let's go see about that chair." As Addy left the kitchen, Bob looked over her shoulder at Billy. Billy held two fingers up, pointed at his eyes and then at Bob. Bob stuck his little tongue out at Billy, and hugged Addy again. John burst out in laughter.**

"**Looks like you have a little competition, and I do mean little." John jabbed at Billy. "At least you can handle it."**

"**I don't know about that. I think you are giving Billy too much credit." Dia said sweeping into the kitchen. She grabbed another donut and plopped down in one of the chairs. "That ugly little spud has taken quite a liking to Addy. And we all know that Addy can find affection for anything. Case in point..." She stretched her arm out and pointed at Billy. Billy grabbed one of the pancakes from the plate stacked with them and tossed it at Dia. Without even looking Dia reached up and grabbed it out of the air. "Thanks Billy, pass me a few more, and maybe some syrup and some bacon." Billy shook his head turned around and started to flip the pancakes. **

"**Um Daddy." Jackie said. "What do you say, after breakfast we take care of that graffiti on the back of your head?" Billy reached up and felt the back of his head.**

"**I thought I got most of it off. Still that bad is it?"**

"**Yup Dad, and we can't have you sporting portraits of you competition." All the children laughed. "Ember, Gypsy and I are gonna have a little talk about where they found the spell so I can figure out just how to get it off." Jackie turned to the two little girls. "Aren't we girls?" **

"**Sure Jackie, No problem." Gypsy said reaching for the chopsticks in the center of the table.**

"**I have the book in my bag upstairs." Ember looked over at Jackie."I will go get it when we are done eating." **

"**I think you should run up and get it now sweetie." John said as he sat a plate of pancakes and bacon on the highchair try where the baby was finally sitting. Serenity looked at John, smiled at him. "Eat up you little Howler Monkey." John smiled back at her. **

"**Ok Daddy. I will get it." Ember hurried out of her chair, and left the kitchen. **

**Plates were made and food was handed out. Bob sat next to Gypsy on the table in a high chair just his size. Addy had found it among the toys. Ember entered the kitchen holding a large book, and handed it to Jackie.**

"**I marked the page for you" Ember pointed at a strand of ribbon. She then took her seat next to Gypsy.**

**Jazz and Harmony had followed Ember into the room, and took their seats. Harmony was dressed and freshly showered.**

"**I see the syrup and flour came out of your hair nicely." John giggled a bit.**

"**Yeah, it took a bit of scrubbing but I got it." Harmony glared at him and then smiled.**

"**I am sorry Harm. I had no idea you were so close to the waist bin. I really didn't mean to hit you with that mess." John smiled at her. Harmony smiled back and fixed her plate. **

Chapter 8

Adventures in Babysitting

Music blared through the camp from several rocks that had been transformed into speakers. The kids had continued to throw sticks and branches onto the growing pile of wood that Jazz had conjured to the far right of the tent. The bonfire was shaping up to be one for the books Richie thought.

Nearby the smaller kids were building sand castles, complete with moats, bridges and a few lizards standing in for moat monsters thanks to Mel and Cad. Callen often would reach over and make another small castle for Serenity to destroy in sheer delight. Jazz had been eyeing the castles and Richard figured it wasn't long until he wouldn't be able to resist changing them in some way or another. Richie was sure the only thing that had stopped him so far was the other two men were occupied at the moment.

The song The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel was slowly coming to an end as Richie's mom and dad gently swayed back and forth, arms around each other and nose to nose, their eyes closed, lost to reality. Jazz's eyes snapped over to them and Richie could tell he was weighing whether to bother them or not. Harmony had run off to the store with Addison to replace the food lost from both breakfast attempt, and Billy was inside getting the back of his head scrubbed by Jackie so Jazz had entertained himself with other things, but the look of growing boredom was making him antsy.

The music came to an end and Jazz waved his wand at the nearest speaker so that no more music continued. The formidable man crossed his arms and stared at John and Dia for another minute before he couldn't contain himself.

"You two do realize there isn't any more music playing." He quipped.

Without changing, John replied softly back, "Yes there is, you just can't hear it."

"Oh, I see. Hearing things is a sign of senility you know."

"You would know." The smile on John's face creped larger.

"I'm changing the music, that was too slow. We need something a little more exciting." Jazz twirled his wand around in his fingers.

"That was the point Jazz. It is too hard to get the baby to go down for a nap every time you start blaring the latest metal rock album." Dia reminded him. They continued to sway.

"Oh, um, hadn't thought of that."

"I figured." Dia sighed. "What's wrong Jazz, can't find a suitable playmate?"

Serenity managed to grab a hold of a small shovel and threw sand as hard as she could covering Bob in his makeshift sarong that Addy had made him from one of her scarves. Ember turned from her sand castle's high rising spear and glared at the baby to which Serenity screamed as loudly as she could, her voice piercing the air. As the little redhead sat back on her heels, Gypsy stopped work on the small lake she was giving the castle they were making together. Bob stood up and shouted gibberish back at the baby, shaking an angry fist. Serenity threw another shovel full of sand and screeched again.

The little girl's eyes narrowed and she picked up Bob and headed for the tent.

John and Dia stopped their motion and both opened their eyes, watching as the six year old stomped into the tent out of site. John sighed.

"I recognize that look." He mumbled, starting to move away.

Dia stopped him. Caressing his face she smiled. "I'll take care of it honey. You've had a long morning already with the girls." Her finger lingered on his lips for a few moments longer. Then she carefully reached up and gave him a soft kiss, but when she tried to draw away, he pulled her in again and kissed her more deeply.

Richie glanced at Alex and Sky who were adjusting the rocks that ringed the fire pit. The two exchanged amused looks and continued moving stones.

When John finally released his wife to head after the girl and gnome, he looked over to Jazz, putting his hands on his hips. Richie knew he was already thinking of ways to annoy the dark skinned man. Jazz's face returned the look. It was going to be an interesting evening.

Down the path Richie heard the two women returning. As they approached he could hear the two laughing at a shared joke. Jazz immediately ran over and jumped up and down in front of them.

"Did you bring me anything? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

Addy rolled her eyes in a perfect impression of Jackie that made Richie smirk.

"I've got the groceries in my purse Jazz. You'll have to wait till we unpack them." Harmony squeezed her eyes and nose together in a smile.

"Awwwww you didn't bring me a surprise?"

"Like what Jazz?" Addy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know, that's why it is called a surprise!"

The girls exchanged looks.

Serenity threw more sand, this time at Gypsy. Colonel got up from where he was chewing on the end of a stick and went over to flop down beside the baby, licking her bare feet and making her giggle.

"Too bad you didn't bring Jazz an 'I love me' jacket." John chuckled. "That's what he really needs."

Sky gave Alex a confused grimace. When they both looked over at Richie he mimed a straight jacket, wrapping his arms around himself. The two others nodded in understanding.

"Actually…" Harmony tapped her finger on her chin and looked into the sky to which Jazz gave her a look of horror and John cracked an even wider smile.

Billy wandered out of the tent with Jackie beside him, his arm around her shoulders.

"When did you get here?" He asked.

"Last night," Harmony giggled.

"Oh, har har. You've been hanging out with Jazz too long." Billy rubbed the top of his bald head. "You know Addy, I'm thinking of keeping my head this way. Saves on shampoo."

She turned to him and patted the back of his head, her fingers lingering for a few seconds. Then she shrugged and dropped her hand, smiling inexplicably.

"Well it isn't everyone who is lucky enough to have the glorious head of hair I have," John quipped, running his hand through his jet black hair.

"Yeah, you should be in the commercial for The Hairclub For Men." Billy snickered, then immediately ran from John's fake rush at him.

"Oh, brave man," John laughed, "hiding behind your wife."

"Hiding, um, no," Billy said from behind Addy. "I'm just here to give her a kiss, that's all." He immediately kissed his wife's neck and then shoulder. Suddenly he seized her around the middle, stepping in front of her and planting a heavy kiss on her lips.

Jazz swallowed wrong and started coughing. John scratched the side of his head in silent laughter. Richie dropped the branch he had been playing with on the pile of wood and took a step closer to see what they were reacting to.

On the back of Billy's head, the image of Bob was gone and instead it now said "Space for rent."

Jackie crossed her arms and mouthed "Mom!" angrily at Addy when they came back up for air. Harmony had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing.

The baby threw sand at the two smaller twins, making them yell and dig through the sand for their pigmy puffs. Colonel nudged the baby with his muzzle, trying to get her attention as her voice pierced the air again in a squeal.

Addy mouthed "What?" back at Jackie then turned and looked around.

"Where's Dia?"

John looked over at the tent. "She went in after Ember. I kind of thought they'd be back by now…"

"I didn't see them go in," Billy said. "They didn't go into the kitchen at least."

The tall man scratched the back of his head for a moment, then walked to the tent and went in. Jazz pursed his lips.

"So, what is on the agenda for the afternoon? A hike? A swim? A treasure hunt?" He said excitedly.

"I was thinking a nap," Addy sighed.

"Dang, that does sound good, doesn't it." Harmony agreed, yawning.

"Awwwww come on! There is so much to do and so little time to do it in!" Jazz whined.

Colonel yelped. Richie saw Serenity swinging the shovel wildly and figured she must have accidently clipped the big dog. Addy frowned.

"I think you are on your own for a while Jazz. Think you can entertain the older kids while we let the younger children put us down for a nap?" She said her eyes still on Serenity. "You got to sleep in quite a while. I think you get to be the activities director for the afternoon."

Serenity let out a shriek of anger as Callen seized the shovel from the baby, tossing it away from her. He got to his feet, frustrated. "I've got to go to the bathroom, can someone else watch her for a moment?" Then he was off for the tent as well.

Addy yawned as she walked over and picked up Serenity, brushing the sand off the little baby and throwing her over a shoulder. Gypsy went over to Colonel who was whining, upset that the baby was unhappy.

"Come on, let's find Em." She said to him and he got up and trotted next to her as she ran to the tent and also disappeared.

"I'd better put Serenity down for a nap." Addy too walked into the tent and was gone.

"Aria, Jubilee, I'm going to need help putting the groceries away. Then I'd sure like some company when I lay down for a while. Think you two could help me with that?" Harmony said to the younger twins.

Both jumped up and ran over to her and took her hands. She walked them to the tent but before she went in, she turned back to Jazz. "Behave yourself Jazz. Don't make me assign one of the kids to watch over you and be in charge." She winked and into the tent they went.

Jazz let his hands slap his jeans. He looked at all the older kids. "Okay, new rule, no one is to enter the tent! It eats people!" He said, flummoxed. "Where did John go anyway?"

Billy shrugged. "Don't look at me! And why would she leave one of the kids in charge and not me?"

"Because John isn't out here right now is my guess." Jazz shrugged. He looked at the kids again. "So," he grinned, clapping his hands together, "what do you want to do? Swim? Hike? Kidnap John and trade him to the neighbor camp for magical beans?"

Callen burst from the tent. "Mom said John can't come out and play." He said to Jazz and Billy.

"Why not? Do I need to get in there and drag him back out here?" Jazz tapped his foot impatiently.

Callen ran over to the man and put one hand on his hip and the other one he waggled a pointed finger at Jazz. "Mom said to tell you not to bug him. He went in and found Auntie Dia curled up with Ember and Bob sleeping on their bed. He stretched out with them and fell asleep. In fact, she said you and daddy are banned from coming into the tent for the next three hours."

"Three hours! Wait, why am I banned?" Billy exclaimed.

"She said to tell you that," Callen's face cracked a smile, "that, well, you are Jazz's bitch this afternoon so you can't come in either. But she said any of the kids can come in for snacks or anything they need."

Billy rolled his eyes.

"Ohhhh I know what we can do!" Jazz exclaimed suddenly. "We can go fishing at the stream a half a mile away. John has wanted to do that ever since we got here. It'll serve him right to miss that."

"I like it. Unless," Billy glanced at Alex and Sky, "you wanted to learn to swim first. We can do that instead if you want."

Alex shyly shook her head no. "John said he was going to teach us. But we've never been fishing before."

"Great! All in favor?" Jazz threw his hand in the air.

All the kids except for Jackie raised their hands. She just shook her head. "I think fishing is stinky. But I'll go along with my drawing book."

"Alright! This is going to be great! How much trouble can we get into fishing anyway?" Jazz exclaimed.

Richie was afraid they were going to find out.

"But it wasn't my fault!" Billy yelled again, kicking a rock out of his way. "Jazz started it. Ask the kids."

"Don't listen to him; he's just angry that he lost." Jazz grumbled.

"I'm not listening to either of you. You went fishing without me! You are both dead to me!" John huffed, walking into camp.

The kids all followed him, giggling and smiling. The older men followed behind them, occasionally shoving each other and gesturing wordlessly at each other, barely hiding their mutual grins.

"Hey honey, everything okay?" Dia asked as she sat at the table that was now outside playing cards with Addison and Harmony.

"No, they went fishing without me." He walked over and kissed her on the top of her head then looked around. The younger children were now all playing in much larger sandcastles. "Looks like you've been busy while I was away."

"Well the children did such a nice job at the sandcastles that I thought they should be bigger. Just watch out for the monsters in the moat."

"MOAT MONSTERS!" Jazz shouted and ran over to the nearest one and splashing up to his knees. Suddenly he levitated up a few feet above the water. "Come and get me!" He laughed and did a somersault in the air.

Billy walked over to the table and gave his wife a kiss, smiling and giggling. Addison gave him a strange look then matched eyes with Jackie.

"Uncle Jazz had Billywigs in his robe pocket." She blurted out like that explained everything.

"Billywigs!" Ember and Gypsy shouted at the same time, appearing out of the doorway of their castle. They ran over to where Jazz was still floating above their moat and pulled him back and began searching his pockets. "The book of Fantastic Beasts says a Billywigs' sting causes giddiness and levitation. For this reason, the Billywigs' sting is highly sought after by Australian wizards."

Jackie saw the women exchange looks with each other. "So," Dia started, "do I want to know what happened?"

"Yeah, they went fishing without me."

"I got that sweetheart." She looked up at him. "Do you want me to go with you fishing? Would that make you happy?"

He thought for a moment then shook his head. "No my love. It's alright. I already promised Alex and Sky I'd teach them to swim before it gets dark." He leaned over and gave her another kiss. "But I appreciate the offer."

"Well if you wanted to go fishing, I'm sure there would be other offers…" she smiled at him.

He thought again, scratching the back of his head.

"But if you already promised Alex and Sky, then you'd better get changed. There is only an hour or so before it starts getting dark. And since they already are giddy and levitating slightly, I'd say this is the perfect time to try to teach them. Less stressful and more buoyancy."

"Besides," Billy cut in, "the muggle forest ranger already had to have one memory spell put on him by John after he found all of us levitating all over the place. I'm sure a second one after catching you two wouldn't do him any favors. He could have nightmares for life."

John jumped up and started to chase Billy around the table. The women ignored it and continued playing cards. Jackie wandered over to where Jazz was still being frisked by the two girls. They had managed to find a few of the half inch long vivid blue magical insects and placed them in a net that Ember produced out of her robes.

"You two want to go swimming with us?" Jackie asked.

"Sure," Gypsy said, happy with their catch. "But we'd better get Bob out of the tower first." She turned to the tall spire and shouted.

A few seconds later the little gnome peered out of a small window. He was sporting a long blond wig.

"Repunzle!" Ember yelled up at him, "let down your hair!"

The small gnome tossed the wig out the window where it landed on the head of the rather large lizard that served as the moat monster.

"I don't think he quite understood." Gypsy said to Ember.

"Agreed. We'll have to get him down somehow."

The now upside down Jazz whipped out his wand and gave it a small twirl. The little man levitated out of the window and slowly descended to the ground. Colonel jumped up and retrieved the wig, dropping it back on the gnomes head.

"None of you were hurt, right?" Dia asked Richie as he walked up to her, avoiding where John and Billy were wrestling, laughing and grunting with effort.

"No mom. But it was a good thing Jackie did get a hold of dad. We had been fishing and Uncle Jazz and Uncle Billy kept messing with each other's poles, they started a water fight. That must have dissolved the spell on the Billywigs in Uncle Jazz's pocket because they came out swarming and mad and started stinging all of us except Jackie who was farthest away on a rock with her drawing pad. I think she drew an awesome picture of it though. Those two of course got stung the worst. There was so much noise that it caught the muggle ranger's attention. Someone's hook caught the man's trousers and they got ripped off."

"Mom," Jackie cut in, "they played keep away with the man's pants! And sang Donald Where's Your Trousers while they did it!"

"What do you want me to do Jackie," Addy asked, "put them in time out? They were clearly out of their minds."

"Addy," Harmony cut in, "isn't that a semi permanent state for them?"

"Hey," Jazz shouted, "someone want to get me down!"

"NO!" Billy and John both laughed.

Melody and Cadence went running over and started to pull him back to the ground, then sat on him, giggling.

John suddenly drug Billy over the edge of the water, then picked him up and threw him in. Billy started to scream how cold it was.

"Ah shut up ya baby. You are already wet from the river anyway!"

With a swiftness that surprised even John, Billy shot to his feet and started out of the water after John who took back off running.

Dia signaled for Alexis and Skylar to come over. When they got there, she started to pull water guns out from the bag under the table. "Here you two go. I hope you are wearing your swimming gear already, everyone is about to get really wet."

Sky grinned. "Aren't you worried that the cards will get soaked?"

"Nah, see the circle around us?" Dia pointed to the ring in the sand that encircled the table along with the women. "It is a dry line. You dried off the second you stepped over it. We won't get wet. Just don't fire your guns or these water balloon grenades," she pulled a huge bucket out from under the table as well, "from inside the line or we might have to get upset." The bucket was filled with multiple colored balloons filled with water. "And the tent is off limits, something I hope the men can remember this time."

Richie pulled off his robe and searched the bag for the gun with his name on it. He kicked off his shoes and pulled the shirt off over his head.

Jackie went to her mother. "You three really are instigators, aren't you? Tell me you got my new gun too, right?"

Addy extended a hand and exchanged the drawing book for a huge grenade launcher.

"Awesome." She smiled and also dropped off her clothes, leaving on only her swimsuit. The other kids saw what was going on and came over to retrieve their weapons as well.

As John and Billy came running back towards the camp, the kids all ambushed them, hitting them with water from all angles. They immediately opened fire on Jazz as he stood up.

Billy fell to the ground laughing. "Oh, I see how it is!"

John made a mad dash for the circle, tearing off his robe and shirt.

"Hey, look girls, a strip tease!" Dia giggled as her husband dropped off his clothes, also stripping down to his swim trunks.

The other two men were trying to do the same.

With a quick kiss to Dia, John grabbed his water guns out of the bag, stuffing a water pistol into the back of his pants. "You kids better run for it! We're coming to get you!"

With a flurry of movement all the kids were running to and fro looking for the best places to hide. Colonel started barking. Dia snapped her fingers and he trotted over and sat just inside the circle where he could watch everyone and keep an eye on the kids. Bob wandered over to Addy and tapped her leg.

With a hand, Addy set Bob on the table where he finished straightening his wig. The hand they were playing was over and Bob collected the cards and started trying to shuffle them.

"Not into water fights eh?" She asked the little man. He gave her a sour face that made the women laugh. "I'm guessing the water fight at the river was enough for him."

"You better teach him how to better shuffle the cards before we get to play 52 card pickup." Harmony snickered.

There was a shriek as Jazz burst forth from the moat and fired a large water canon at the younger set of twins. Immediately the older set rounded the corner of the castle and lobbed water balloons at him. But Billy snuck up behind and doused them with a bucket of water over their heads.

Richie and Jackie ran up behind him and pushed Billy into the water, barely missing Jazz who was crawling out.

"Gin!" Harmony announced, laying down her cards.

"Nah, I'd rather have whiskey." Dia chuckled.

"I have that right here…" Harmony fished around in her bag and finally pulled out a large bottle and two glasses. "Sorry Addy, but I have a nice tea in here somewhere for you. How about some cheese and crackers to go with this? Some crumpets?"

"Ohhhh that sounds good." Dia said. She reached out and took some cheese and crackers, but stopped suddenly. "Wait, didn't they say they went fishing? All they caught was the ranger's knickers?"

"I'm all for that. I hate trying to clean fish." Addy sighed, pouring herself some tea from a thermos.

"You could make them clean them you know." Harmony said, pouring a healthy amount of Irish Whiskey into a mug and handing it to Dia.

"Are you kidding? Did you see the kitchen the last time they did?" Addy grimaced.

"I remember after the fish fight they had that they smelled so bad you wouldn't let them back in the house. They had to shower in the tree house. For which I'm grateful…" Dia said, taking a swig from the mug. She looked at Harmony. "I'm guessing the Pepsi was only a splash for color?"

"I know how you like your drinks." She smiled back.

"Yeah, strong and savory." Dia chuckled. "I suppose that makes Addy like her drinks wishy-washy and gullible."

"No, that would be simple and straightforward." Addy said defensively, and then smiled. "And quick but often…" The women burst out laughing.

Jazz was running by, chasing Callen, but stopped and eyed the women suspiciously.

"Harm, is you drink thick and amusingly odd?" Dia asked, sending the women laughing at Jazz's confusion.

"Run for it JAZZ!" John yelled, running at Jazz, followed by all six of the older kids who were trying to hit him with their guns or balloons. He slid to a stop and quickly snagged some of Dia's drink, gagged a bit because of how strong it was, gave her a quick kiss, and was off and running again before the kids could catch up. Jazz eyed them all one last time then took off in a different direction, splitting the kids up that were chasing John.

Callen stopped briefly and checked under the table where baby Serenity was still sleeping. He then stole a crumpet and took off chasing Jazz again.

"I thought John was going to teach Alex and Sky to swim." Harmony poured herself another rum and coke, digging ice cubes out of a small satchel.

"Oh, I give them another ten to fifteen minutes before someone gets thrown into the water again. After the ensuing free for all, then I'm sure John will work on that with them." Dia finished her drink and proffered the glass to Harmony who poured her another.

"Well look at that," Addy said, looking off into the distance beside their camp, "someone is setting up a camp next to us. Wonder if it is someone we know."

"Statistically, one of us will probably know them." Dia said, nodding thanks to the refreshed drink.

"Oh, I hope it isn't someone you know Dia." Harmony blurted out. "I mean, anyone you know will be one of those odd Aurors you work with, a victim who will want to whine to you or someone you've caught which could be trouble."

"Yeah, but it could be someone we've worked with from the ministry."

"You mean someone you've strong armed at one point or another over the years?" Addy laughed.

"Are you trying to say something there?" Dia smiled, taking another swig.

"That you need to get out and meet more regular people that you DON'T end up arguing with." Addy finished as she took new cards from Bob who was now the dealer.

"What fun would THAT be?"

The girls chuckled again. One of the moat monsters roared as the younger twins ran across their backs, searching for a target. Billy jumped out at them from behind the walls of a sand castle and they screamed and ran back across the monster. They rounded a corner and almost ran into Alex and Sky who hesitated for a moment, but when the younger twins turned and fired on Billy, they did also.

"Good to see Alex and Sky finally getting into it." Addy observed. "They are always so hesitant. Think that will rub off onto any of our kids?"

Both Harmony and Dia said "NO" at the same time, and then giggled.

"I didn't think so. But still, I'm glad they are relaxing a little more. Alex has really taken a liking to John, hasn't she? And I've noticed Sky will talk to Billy often."

"You should have seen that family." Dia shook her head. "It would make you sick."

"I remember Billy talking about it when he was dispatched to talk to the muggles about their kids attending Hogwarts." Addy sighed, and then set her cards down. "Gin."

Harmony threw her cards onto the table for Bob to pick up. "Well I'm glad they came to us. Sky seems a bit better off than Alex, so I'm glad she feels safe with John around. My cousin ended up making an excellent father, didn't he?"

Dia smiled, watching John get tackled and doused with water by several kids. He picked up Cadence and heaved him up, using him as a shield from the other kids.

"Yes, he did. I often wonder if he should be an auror. Sometimes I think it is too harsh for him."

"He'd die if you went off to work without him Dia, you know that." Addy said, taking cards from Bob. "Of course I'd be happy if you both stopped being Aurors and took a less dangerous job…" She saw the dirty look from Dia and lightly chuckled. "I know I know."

"Well," Dia sighed, handing her glass to Harmony again. "We all can't be the brilliant writer of kids' books!"

"Addison!" Harmony gasped, "did you get published?"

"Yep, got the owl yesterday but so much was going on that I figured I'd say something later. I didn't want to steal Jazz's thunder for his surprises nor John's for the camping trip."

"Well, tonight we'll celebrate!" Dia lifted her glass. Harmony and Addison followed and they all clinked their glasses together and laughed. "No one knows how to write kids' books like our Addy. Living with all these children, including the large ones, makes her the most qualified author ever."

From under the table, the baby started to move, letting out little whimpers and moans.

"Now if I could only get that one to stop screaming all the time…" Addy sighed, glancing under the table at the baby.

"The Howler Monkey? Good luck on that one." Dia snorted.

"Yeah, that reminds me, what's up with John starting to give the kids nicknames?" Harmony asked.

Dia shrugged. "At least they are better ones than Mow and Cow. Gin."

"Well if he keeps it up," Addy said, pouring more tea and then a tiny thimble of tea for Bob, "Billy isn't going to know anyone's names anymore. He already has taken to just yelling 'Hey you' to the kids."

"Oh, he knows their names. He just likes to get them to yell." Dia said, smiling. "Could be worse. Next time Ember and Gypsy come across another 'special' creature, you know they are going to want to bring it home for either Alexis or Skylar. I'm sure you are looking forward to that day, aren't you Addy?"

The woman just groaned and slid down in her seat as an answer.

A blood curling scream came from the direction of the ocean. The women glanced over as they watched Jazz dragging Jackie into the surf. She was screaming, kicking, laughing and yelling for her dad. Billy came running into the surf up to his knees, followed by several other children.

"Hang on honey! I'm sending help!" Billy yelled back. He looked next to him and suddenly seized Richie and threw him out into the surf. "There ya go!" He then grabbed Cadence and tossed him out as well. Melody tore off trying to run but Billy caught up and drug her out as well. The younger twins and Callen all jumped on him and tried to drag him down, but Billy just kept walking farther out into the surf, tossing anyone who he could grab his hands on.

John slowly waded out a little ways with Alex hiked up on his back. Sky had a hold of his right hand but grinned wildly. The others were careful not to take their hijinks too close to the two new kids.

Jazz and Billy had taken to trying to keep all the kids in the water, but they often were able to get around them, only to run back in and jump on their backs, giggling madly and yelling. Finally the kids got organized and bum rushed both men, sending them under as a wave crashed over. They came back up yelling and immediately took to chasing kids again.

Bob started to tap his foot impatiently on the table. Finally the women turned and took the cards he had set out.

"Alright, alright. Keep your hair on." Dia quipped.

Bob lifted his wig and then set it back down on his head. Dia shook her head.

"Bob, we need to get you a girlfriend."

** The sun was slowly sunk into the horizon, as twilight slowly pulled her blanket of night across the sky. Addy finished her cup of tea, and got to her feet. The pile of wood had been stacked and any debris that might catch fire had been removed. Addy grabbed the bottle of alcohol, and screwed the cap on tight.**

** "Do me a favor you two, hold off till you eat something." Addy sat the bottle down on the table. "Oh and Dia, stop spiking Bob's tea." Bob tried to stand up, but fell back on his butt. Dia giggled. "I think it is about time to feed this band of miscreants. I will be right out with what we need." She turned and face the men who were now dried off and talking among themselves. "Billy dear, I am going to need some help in the kitchen, John would you please get the fire going. We are going to need it for dinner." From next to her Dia shouted.**

** "Yes, and with all this wet hair, I don't want anyone catching cold." Dia looked around. "I think everyone should put on a warm jumper, just to be on the safe side."**

** Addy and Billy walked into the tent; Bob was visibly upset that Addy had left him behind. Dia noticed the look of disappointment on his face, grabbed the thimble he had been drinking from, dumped out the tea it held and pored some of her drink into it. She handed it to him, he smelled the concoction, and wrinkled his nose at it. **

"**Sip it slow. If Addy finds out I got you drunk she will not be happy." Dia patted Bob on the head. Bob grinned at her. Slowly and cautiously he took a small sip. A huge smile crossed his face.**

"**Wow! I never noticed that Bob had such nice teeth." Harmony said as she smiled at the little man sitting on the table.**

** John had taken out his wand and set about, lighting the wood on fire in different spots. Jackie, Richie, Sky, Alex, Melody and Cadence sat and watched as they talked.**

** "So have you all been practicing?" John interrupted their conversation. Richie smiled at his dad.**

"**Whenever we can. Jackie more than most of us. But you know Jackie." This comment was met with an elbow to his arm. Jackie glared at him.**

"**Just what is that supposed to mean?" Jackie asked in a very sassy tone.**

"**It means you are very much like your Auntie." John chuckled. "There were times she had us in practice for hours on end." Jackie smiled at this. She knew she was very like her mother, but it wasn't often she thought of herself like Dia. And as if he were reading her mind John added. **

"**You are more like your Aunt Dia then you think." John tousled her lazy curls. "So what have you been practicing so hard at, and when can I hear it?" **

**Jackie looked at Richie and shrugged. **

"**It is a special song for Aunt Addy and Uncle Billy. She wants to play it for them." Melody added to the conversation. **

"**Oh I see. Well how about tonight?" John asked timidly. **

"**Oh I don't know if we are ready Uncle John." Jackie was quick to give her opinion. She loved to play, but like her dad, stage fright was a big issue for her.**

"**I think we should." Richie turned to Jackie. "Alex and sky have learned the song quickly, we could do it."**

**John raised an eyebrow at the two. "You guys play instruments?"**

"**Um Alex plays a mean Air Guitar! I have seen it!" Sky said with a sly grin on his face. "Jackie and Richie have been teaching us. We have learned a few cords, enough to play the song they have been practicing. We do sing well though."**

"**Yes, they do sing well!" Richie boasted. Jackie nodded in agreement along with Cadence and Melody.**

"**Well let's hear it." John said as he finished lighting the bonfire. **

"**Oh I don't know..." Alex hesitated. "I don't know what we would sing."**

"**I do." Sky said solemnly. "It isn't a happy song, but I think you can all imagine why we like this song so much." Sky cleared his throat and began to sing. His voice crisp and beautiful.**

"**All around me are familiar faces, worn out places, worn out faces. Bright and early for the daily races Going nowhere, going nowhere."**

** Alex joined in. Their pitch perfect, and their harmony beautiful.**

"**Their tears are filling up their glasses. No expression, no expression Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow. No tomorrow, not tomorrow.**

**And I find it kinda funny, I find it kind of sad. All the dreams in which I'm dying are the best I ever had. I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take. When people run in circles it's a very, very mad world**

**Children waiting for the day they feel good. Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday. And feel the way every child should. Sit and listen, sit and listen.**

**Went to school and I was very nervous. No one knew me No one knew me. Hello teacher what's my lesson. Look right though me, look right through me.**

**And I find it kinda funny, I find it kind of sad. All the dreams in which I'm dying are the best I ever had. I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take. When people run in circles it's a very, very mad world."**

**Everyone applauded. The song had brought every near to hear better. Dia was clapping the loudest, as she wiped a lone tear from her cheek. The children and adults gushed over the wonderful performance. Richie informed Sky and Alex that they would be on stage with them for sure, and they should give a good deal of thought to learning how to play an instrument. Jackie looked around for a moment. Everyone was there, except her parents. She got to wondering what was taking them so long with dinner. Without drawing attention to herself she slipped away from the group and into the tent, to find them. **

** Quietly Jackie rounded the corner and peered into the kitchen. Plates lined the table containing fresh fruits, vegetables, and a variety of meats. It was evident that they had been busy. Jackie looked beyond the table. There stood her mother and father, holding one-another slowly swaying as Billy continued to hum the tune Alex and Sky had just finished, their foreheads touching, looking into each other's eyes. Stealing kisses every now and then. The smiles on their faces told Jackie that they were truly lost in the moment. Billy softly touched the side of Addy's face, and then moved a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Tracing her jaw line with the back of his fingers and gently pulling her chin close for a long tender kiss. Jackie didn't want to interrupt the moment; she knew that these moments were too few and far between. Quietly she backed out of the tent, smiling.**

** Once she hit the door, she turned and ran to John. **

** "Tonight!" She blurted out at him. Confusion crossed his face, and Jackie read it well. "The song. You will hear it tonight after dinner." She grinned from ear to ear.**

** "Well then it's a good thing I brought the stage." He smiled at her. **

**Jackie ran over to discuss the upcoming performance with the others. Richie smiled, and there was a lot of nodding in agreement. The planning began.**

** Billy and Addy emerged from the tent. Addy was moving the bowls of food with her wand. In his arms Billy carried a bundle of sticks, sharpened at one end. **

** "OH! Shish-ka-bobs!" Dia yelled. She and Harmony had made their way back to the table they were sitting at earlier. A worried look crossed Bob's face. This made Dia and Harmony laugh. "Don't worry Bob, no one is gonna cook you, well Billy might skewer you if you don't lay off Addy." Bob growled at the mention of this, which sent Dia and Harmony in to a fit of laughter.**

** Dinner was the normal chaos but everyone had survived, only Billy suffered any injuries. But after they got the skewer away from Bob everything went much better. Addy was tending to his wounds as the children set up the stage. **

** "Honestly Addy, you didn't see him riding that dog, using that stick a as a lance? Thankfully I had on my jeans or he would have gotten me in the cheek of my butt too." Addy checked the wound on Billy's ankle. Then she touched it with her wand and the wound was all but gone. Just a faint red mark remained**

** "Well it's only a flesh wound dear. You are going to live. The first time honestly thought it was an accident, but six times. I just don't know what got into him." Addy sighed.**

** "Where is the little miscreant now anyway?" Billy looked around cautiously.**

** "I asked Alex to find him, and keep an eye on him." Addy sighed. "I hope she will be able to shed some light on why he is acting this way."**

** "Well for once I am glad that we know the people in the next camp. I don't think I could take much more of Dia's quips. Ya know I love the woman, but she sure knows how to rub salt in an open wound. I mean really how close was my arm to her plate." Billy patted the bandage on his arm.**

"**Billy I said I was sorry! Am I not allowed to spill things? It just so happened your arm was there when the cap came off the shaker." Dia yelled from the neighboring camp. **

"**Holly hell woman! Did you get bionic hearing implants and forget to tell everyone!" Billy yelled.**

"**No, for some reason I am picking up sniveling and whining very well. Jackass!" Dia hollered in reply followed by the laughter of Marcus and Maria. Marcus a fellow Auror at the Ministry and his wife who worked in Muggle relations, had set up camp next to them. Somehow everyone thought this may have been thanks to Minerva.**

** Addy could hear John across the camp plucking and tuning his violin. **

** "Oh good. Music! It will make us all feel like we don't need to talk so much!" Addy smiled at Billy. She was sure that Dia heard her, as there was no reply.**

** "Music to sooth the savage beast you mean!" Billy whispered to Addy.**

** "Billy, are you trying to get yourself killed tonight?" Addy hissed at him.**

** Across the camp, by the stage, Alex was struggling with some of the equipment. John, violin in hand strolled over to the young boy.**

** "Ahhh, problems you are having I see." John said in his best Yoda voice. "Use the force young Skywalker." John said in an imitation of Obi-wan, and winked at Sky. Sky caught on quickly, pulled out his wand and levitated the equipment on to the stage. Sky smiled at the man. John made a great bow, and danced away as he played an Irish Jig.**

** Over by the bonfire, Alex found Bob, who had found where Jazz hid the skewers. Next to Bob was an almost empty bottle of whisky. Alex tried to snatch up the bottle. Bob turned and stumbled. He grabbed one of the skewers, and mumbled something that sounded like "on guard." Alex stepped back but quickly grabbed one if the skewers. The sword play began. Bob was quick, and for someone who was very intoxicated quite the swords man. Alex matched him blow for blow. John saw the commotion and quickly ran to make sure no one would get hurt. As he got near he saw Alex knock the skewer from Bobs hand, she followed through with a spin and landed down on one knee, holding the little man at bay. John tucked his violin under his arm and began clapping and cheering. **

** "Woooohoooo! That was quite the battle. Are you sure your name isn't Xena the Warrior Princess?" Alex blushed, but grabbed bob up and the almost empty bottle of whisky.**

"**I think this might explain why Bob was being so mean." She held up the bottle. John took a look at it. **

"**Um let's not share this with Addy or Billy. I will talk to Dia about it once she gets back. Okay?" John winked at her.**

"**Sure thing John. I don't want to get anyone in trouble. I am going to go get some coffee for this guy, and maybe some more food. He needs to sober up, before he hurts anyone else." Alex tossed the bottle to John.**

"**Better hurry about it you guys will be going on soon." John reminded her.**

"**No problem! I got it under control." Alex waved back at him.**

**John tucked the bottle away near his violin case, and picked up some more rosin for his bow. He started to walk slowly as he played a slow, sad Gypsy tune. He came and sat by Addy. She loved it when he played this kind of music. Most people were not proud of their Gypsy heritage, but Addy loved hers. John learned to play this song just for Addy; he said it was in appreciation for all the things she does for them every day, without prompting or sometimes even thanks. Addy kissed him softly on the cheek as he finished playing. **

Richard watched as his dad played the violin, going through old songs like 'The Devil Went Down To Georgia" and "Come on Eileen." He had started to learn both guitar and the violin before they had gone to Hogwarts and had been practicing since then, but he still loved to listen when his dad played. John could make the music sweet or fun whereas Richard himself was still just trying to hit the correct notes. As usual, Jackie, who was learning guitar also as well as piano, was way better than he was already.

Jackie listened also as she plugged in her guitar and tested the amp. Alexis and Skylar had been stunned that all the instruments and even a portable small stage fit into Harmony's purse. They were interested in learning to be part of the band but hadn't decided exactly what to do yet. They had taught them both a few chords to do backup for tonight. Cadence was almost done setting up his drums and Melody was ready with her base guitar. Richard was as nervous as the others. This was the first time they were playing for anyone, even if it was just one song for their parents; they wanted it to be great.

As John finished a song from Fiddler on the Roof he smiled at Jackie. "You all ready?"

She took a deep breath. "Well someone will have to get mom, Auntie Dia and Auntie Harm over here from the camp next door."

"I just messaged them on the bracelet my little sweetie." Billy called over to her as he handed John another bottle of beer. He looked at his bracelet as it buzzed a return message, chuckling slightly.

John gave him a raised eyebrow.

With a swig from his own beer, Billy snickered, "It was Dia. She said 'I can hear your voice over here, stop talking to your penis.' I swear she has the hearing of a bat." He smiled, and then added at a mumble, "An old bat that is," followed quickly by another drink from his bottle.

"Bill, I see you are trying to get yourself killed while the night is still young," John slapped Billy on the back making him spit out some of the drink in his mouth.

"We all have to have goals you know…" Billy replied with an evil look back at John.

Richie watched as his mom and the other women walked out of the shadows.

"When we were trying to decide what song to play first, I thought of this one. I'd like to dedicate it to our parents. For mom and dad, this is for you when you were just getting married."

Clearing his throat, Richie added, "Mom and dad, this is for your ability to continue even in the worst of situations."

Melody smiled. "Mom and dad, Cadence and I dedicate it to you as well. For dad's continued trips down the rabbit hole and mom putting up with it."

"Yeah," Cadence finished, "and for all of you letting us live in Wonderland."

Jackie started playing the piano, and then Cadence added drums. Richie strummed his guitar. Then she started to sing.

"Trippin out

Spinning around

I'm underground

I fell down

Yeah I fell down

I'm freaking out, where am I now?

Upside down and I can't stop it now

Can't stop me now, oh oh

I, I'll get by

I, I'll survive

When the world's crashing down

When I fall and hit the ground

I will turn myself around

Don't you try to stop me

I, I won't cry"

Richard was smiling as he watched everyone enjoying the song. The littler kids were dancing around and giggling. Even Bob was dancing in his little squaw outfit.

"I found myself in Wonderland

Get back on my feet, again

Is this real?

Is this pretend?

I'll take a stand until the end

I, I'll get by

I, I'll survive

When the world's crashing down

When I fall and hit the ground

I will turn myself around

Don't you try to stop me

I, I won't cry"

As the song came to a close everyone clapped, howled and whistled for them in appreciation.

"Wonderful job everyone!" Jazz screamed enthusiastically in between shouts. "That was fantastic!"

John and Dia headed to the stage. Richie's father tried to say something but Cadence started a drum solo. His sticks were flying wildly and no one could hear anything.

Finally Richie heard his dad yell out, "Alright alright already Ringo!"

Cadence stopped the drumming and smiled at John, his hair sticking up all over from the effort.

Melody turned to John. "If you call me Yoko, I'm going to stab you Uncle John." She was waving the stick from dinner in his direction.

John burst out laughing putting up his hands in surrender. "Hey, don't stake me there Buffy."

Dia walked over and gave Richie a big hug, kissing him on the top of his head. He couldn't help but have a big grin on his face. He saw that Jackie was getting the same bear hug from her mom as well, her face beaming. Harmony had come over and was hugging Melody as Jazz leapt up onto the stage and yanked Cadence from his seat, lifting him in the air and then landing a smothering hug on him as well. John caught Alex as she was putting down her guitar and gave her a hug, rubbing her back and smiling at her. Billy gave Sky a quick embrace, squeezing his shoulders.

"Boy does that bring back memories, doesn't it?" Billy said as him and John let go of the kids. Alex and Sky put down the guitars and jumped down from the stage, still a little red from not being used to getting hugs and recognition of any kind.

"Yes it does. Remember the first time we played for Fred and Alma?" John thought back as he took another drink from his beer and waited for Dia to let Richie go. "Harm's parents were so polite, trying to listen to what had to sound more like a wall of noise. Individually we did fine, but all together, well, that took much longer to sound good."

Billy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, well it's good to know that our kids are smarter than us. They picked a single song and played it amazingly well. We made the mistake of trying to play a whole gig and did it very badly."

With a rub to Richie's hair, Dia turned back to the men. "Well if you all had committed to actually practicing instead of constantly trying to attack one another we would have sounded better." She said a bit snidely. "But nooooooo, you idiots couldn't go one session without running off to have fun."

"Well, Dia," Billy said with a smile and an edge of a playful sneer, "if you hadn't decided we had to learn fifteen songs at once and have band practice for, what was it, five hours? Maybe we would have not had to make excuses to run off." He reached over and gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek.

"It is called dedication Billy. Besides, at that time I didn't realize you were such a minute man." Dia countered.

His father had come up and finally had to drag Richie away from his mother's arms to give him a quick hug. He exchanged smiles with his dad.

"Well it wasn't me who faked the injury just to get out of band practice. That was John. Pretending to fall off the stage so that he could…" Billy trailed off, his eyes looking over to John who had suddenly looked up at Billy, then over at Dia who was turning back to him and giving him a wide eyed look.

"Just so he could what, Billy." She said while staring at John. His father moved Richard to stand directly between them, like a shield.

"Well, um, never mind, that was a long time ago…"

"So that he could WHAT WILLIAM!"

Richie saw his dad take a gulp and try to clear his throat. "You know, honey, we should play a song for the kids-"

"SO. HE. COULD. WHAT."

"Billy I'm going to kill you-" John said under his breath. He cleared his throat. "Um, sweetie. That was a different time, you know that."

"Oh, right. Let me guess. What was her name…" Dia thought, tapping her chin.

"Come on love, it doesn't matter now-"

"Was it Tiffany? Or MaryBeth? Oh, wait, that year it had to be-"

John patted Richie on the back and moved him out of the way, grabbing his wife around the shoulders. "Now come on Dia. That's not fair."

"Oh, finding out how you lied to me isn't fair to you?" Dia crossed her arms. She looked at Jazz who took a step back, putting down Cadence, then over to Billy who positioned Jackie between him and Dia.

Richie saw Addy and Harmony put their hands over their mouths to hide their smiles.

"Please, honey. Come on. You know we did a lot of things back then that we shouldn't have. We were kids. You can't be mad at us for something-"

"Ohhhhh and now you are telling me I can't be mad, is that your strategy? Hmmmm?"

"No I'm not telling you how you can feel, you know I wouldn't do that… well wouldn't do that now…" He sighed. "Okay, fine. I lied and faked an injury so I could run off and see that little blond haired girl with the bouncy curls down the block. And Jazz and Billy covered for me because they too wanted to stop after one of your marathon sessions. So I told you they had to help me get back to the house."

"You preferred a Muggle girl over band practice?"

"We preferred the girl who made us cookies and little cakes and waited on us hand and foot. So yes, that was more preferable than you yelling at us and making us do the same song over and over again. To this day I still have a hard time listening to Fire on the Mountain we played it so much." John sighed, slapping his hand to his thigh and rolling his head back.

"Oh, I see. So you chose a little slip of a girl who did everything for you and you didn't have to lift a finger or even think for yourself, just let her pamper you and dote on you and be the ever so perfect wifeypoo. Is that it?"

"Ummm yeah, pretty much. But not now. I'd rather have…" he took a step back from Dia with a big smile, "angry and bossy much more now." John threw up his hands to ward off her possibly hitting him.

Dia narrowed her eyes at John. "Too bad for you though. It's gonna be cold sleeping outside for the next few years." She turned her back on him but not before Richie saw her give him a little wink so that he didn't worry.

"Awwwww come on honey." John jumped forward and stood in front of Dia, not allowing her to leave the stage. "Alright, we are sorry for that." He eyed Billy who had an innocent look on his face. "Some of us are gonna be more sorry than others, you can bet on that." He looked back at Dia. "What can we do to make it up to you. If it is any consolation, your hard work and busting our butts made us into a pretty good band. Doesn't that account for anything?"

"Not really. I haven't seen you guys play anything for us in a really long time. Seems like us girls always have to do all the work." She glanced sideways at Billy. "Some of us more than others to get any pleasure."

"Fine! What do you say guys? Want to play a song for the women?" John said, looking over at Jazz and Billy.

Jazz nodded vigorously, Billy scowled until he looked at his wife, then suddenly was nodding also.

"So there you have it. We'll play a song for you all. Okay?" He said, winking at Richie also.

Dia looked over at Harmony and Addison who smiled back, still trying not to laugh out loud.

"Fine, but I pick the song." She said finally.

"Fine." John said back, kissing her forehead. "How hard can that be…"

Richard stood with his back to the bonfire and watched his dad, Uncle Billy and Uncle Jazz as they danced and sang on stage and wondered how they managed to get themselves into such things.

To accomplish the song they finally spelled the instruments to play themselves. It took almost another case of beer and a half hour of discussing the dance routine to finally get them all three up onstage and singing "It's Raining Men" to the crowd of women and children below.

As the song started Bob threw a fit and finally Ember put him up on stage as well to dance along with them. By the end of the song, the men were getting way into it and having a good time while their wives were almost in tears with laughter.

Jackie stood next to Richard with Alex and Sky on her right. Her arms were crossed and she was shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

As John slowly pulled off his robe as he danced, Billy took the hint and pulled off his shirt in what he thought was a sexy way. Jazz took off his pants and started twirling them over his head, finally throwing them into the audience. They landed on Callen who dropped them like they were disgusting. Serenity squealed in delight though from his arms.

"Whooo hoooo take it off, take it all off!"

Richie cringed when he realized it was his own mother screaming the words.

"Come on John, I want to see some skin!"

"Hey Billy!" Addy called next to her, "shake that money maker!"

"Jazz!" Harmony screamed, "Don't you even dare take off those underwear!" She started laughing again. "Everyone's seen enough of your naked butt for a lifetime."

"Gee sweetie," Dia giggled, "I hope that doesn't include you."

Harmony pushed her playfully as the kids continued to look on in astonishment.

The men now were lined up doing leg kicks together.

"I'm still not seeing anything!" Dia yelled. John finally started to unbutton his shirt, one button at a time.

Alex looked over at Richie but didn't say anything. It occurred to Richard that this was the first time he could remember being actually embarrassed.

Jazz grabbed John's belt and pulled it off from him, hitting him on the butt with it.

"Oh, now that's just wrong dad." Melody whispered.

Billy grabbed John around the waist and Jazz threw the belt into the audience and quickly pulled John's boots off, tossing them off stage as well.

As John realized where this was going he jumped off the stage and ran through the kids and grabbed his wife, continuing to sing the end of the song. They started dancing very close to what Richie realized was dirty dancing. Billy jumped down and took Addy in his arms and swung her around, having no real clue how to dance. Jazz jumped down and started giving all the kids sloppy kisses which made them scream and run. Only Bob was left up on stage dancing till the song ended.

Skylar leaned over to Jackie and Richie. "I don't get it. Why do you two have sour looks on your faces? All three of them were in their swim trunks just hours ago. What's the difference now?"

Jackie and Richie exchanged looks. She finally shrugged and he let out a little laugh.

"I don't know. I suppose they really weren't acting like adults then either." He said.

"Seems to be a theme around here." Jackie stated flatly, but then smiled.

Up on stage Bob crossed his arms because there was no longer any music. Suddenly he started chanting.

"Ouga ouga ouga chaka, ouga ouga ouga chaka!"

"Hey, I know this song!" Jazz yelled and joined in. "Ouga ouga ouga chaka!" He grabbed Harmony and lifted her up, throwing her over his shoulder and taking her back onto stage. He grabbed his wand and spelled the instruments to start playing. As he put her down he started singing to her.

"I can't stop this feeling

Deep inside of me.

Girl, you just don't realize

What you do to me.

When you hold me

In your arms so tight,

You let me know,

Everything's alright, ahahah"

At the refrain both Billy and John joined in.

"I'm hooked on a feeling,

I'm high on believing,

That you're in love with me."

It made Richie smile watching his parents move to and fro together, his father singing to his mother. Everyone was laughing and having a good time.

"Lips as sweet as candy.

Their taste stays on my mind.

Girl, you keep me thirsty for another cup of wine.

I got it bad for you girl,

But I don't need a cure,

I'll just stay addicted, If I can endure

All the good love, when we're all alone

Keep it up girl, yeah you turn me on.

I'mmm, I'mmm Hooked on a feeling.

I'm high on believing that you're in love with me.

All the good love, when we're all alone

Keep it up girl, yeah you turn me on."

When the song came to a close Richard realized that Ember and Gypsy were up on stage whispering back and forth. And they had wands.

"Ummmm dad…" Richie started to say but it was too late, Ember was waving her wand and the instruments jumped to life again.

Gypsy screamed out "Let's dance!"

Jackie sighed. "She needs to stop watching those muggle movies of Uncle Jazz's."

The guitar twanged and the heavy beat sounded. Everyone joined in dancing except Richie, Jackie, Alex and Sky.

John started off the song while swing dancing with Dia as she threw off her robe.

I been working so hard

Keep punching my card

Eight hours, for what?

Oh, tell me what I got

I get this feeling

That time's just holding me down

I'll hit the ceiling

Or else I'll tear up this town

Tonight I gotta cut

The whole group joined in the chorus. Richard nudged Jackie, and then extended a hand. She rolled her eyes but smiled, finally taking her hand. They didn't know the wild steps that the parents were doing, but Richard felt they held their own.

Loose, footloose

Kick off your Sunday shoes

Please, Louise

Pull me offa my knees

Jack, get back

C'mon before we crack

Lose your blues

Everybody cut footloose

Richie and Jackie realized suddenly that Alex and Sky were being left out. They quickly grabbed the other two and drug them away from the fire, encouraging them to dance. The four of them danced facing inwards at each other, Alex and Sky trying to imitate the dance moves that Richard and Jackie were doing.

You're playing so cool

Obeying every rule

Dig way down in your heart

You're yearning, burning for some

Somebody to tell you

That life ain't passing you by

I'm trying to tell you

It will if you don't even try

You can fly if you'd only cut

Jackie and Richie smiled at Alex and Sky who were finally getting into the swing of the dance and grinning with enjoyment. It struck Richie that this was probably the first time that Alex and Sky had ever done anything like this. He suddenly understood why all the adults were unusually gregarious. It was for the benefit of Alex and Sky. To show them how to have fun in life.

Loose, footloose

Kick off your Sunday shoes

Oowhee, Marie

Shake it, shake it for me

Whoa, Milo

C'mon, c'mon let go

Lose your blues

Everybody cut footloose

FIRST - we got to turn you around

SECOND - You put your feet on the ground

THIRD - Now take a hold of your soul

FOUR - Whooooooooa, I'm turning it

Loose, FOOTLOOSE

The song came to a crashing end and everybody was laughing and breathing hard, even the younger kids who fell in the sand pleased with themselves.

Alex and Sky were a little winded but not as bad as Richie and Jackie. He made a mental note to point this out to her later, that they needed more exercise…

Billy gave his wife a big kiss, then set about refilling everyone's drinks. He handed glasses over to Dia and John who were still holding onto each other and giggling. Jazz came over with his wife over his shoulder and her screaming for him to put her down.

"Good lord man, where's your pants?" Billy asked as he waited for Jazz to put Harmony down before he handed them glasses of dark liquid. Jazz was still wearing a shirt and underwear but nothing else.

"I don't know, with this many females around, maybe one of them is washing them…" Jazz replied, and then jumped away from Harmony as she smacked him hard on the arm.

Billy laughed and handed Addy a drink. "Sorry honey, it's only more tea. None of the good stuff." She shrugged and took a drink.

As they all sipped their drinks, Dia rubbed John's chest since his shirt was still on but unbuttoned. "Hey dearest. You're putting on weight. You've got moobs."

"I've got what?" He looked down at his chest that had two lumps slowly growing. He quickly shoved his shirt closed. "What the hell." He looked up at her and brought his face in closer. "Um, my love, now no killing the messenger, but, um, you need a shave."

Dia felt her face, rubbing the 5 o'clock shadow she suddenly was sprouting.

Jazz was laughing until Harmony gasped. "Jazz deary, you'd better hope it is just cold out here." She pointed to his crotch. The sizable bulge that was normally there was significantly smaller.

Harmony looked at her own skin as it got much darker. She exchanged looks with her husband, then Dia and John.

Dia looked at her drink and then at Billy, who no longer could keep from laughing.

"Billy, what did you do…"

Tears were coming to his eyes. "Oh, not much. Just a simple polyjuice potion." He gulped air trying not to explode in laugher.

"You deluded it in alcohol?"

John's voice came out several octaves higher than normal. "Oh, Billy, you're a dead man!" He lunged after the fleeing man as Jazz also started giving chase.

Addy surveyed the other two. "Well Dia, it's official. You're more man than anyone else around here!" She couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The other two women sniggered.

"Don't worry Harm, the change won't be complete. And it won't last long. The alcohol blunted the effects. But," she said, putting down her glass, her voice going lower than usual, "it won't stop me from helping pound Billy's ass!"

Suddenly Addy put up a hand. "Wait! I've got a better idea…"

Chapter 9

How to Roast Marshmallows and

Other Family Members

Irish folk music played lightly through several rocks that were still transfigured into speakers. The younger twins practiced dancing the Irish jig, attempting to show Alexis and Skylar the steps as the bonfire roared behind them.

Alexis couldn't stop herself from glancing over every few minutes to the rotisserie that had been set up on the fire's edge. Ember had just finished a turn at rotating the handle and Gypsy giggled as she stepped up and started slowly turning the lever.

On the rotisserie was Billy, bound and gagged. It had been explained that Billy was in no real danger because Addy had spelled it, being that she was the only adult that was still sober. But it still was very weird to Alex that he was getting the roast pig treatment.

Every so often John or Jazz would walk over and "marinade" him with something such as beer, Mayonnaise or salt and pepper. Jazz like to pinch him to check to see if he was "done" yet. Billy struggled and grunted, trying to undo the ropes, but they of course held. Alex was fairly certain John and Dia knew how to tie knots that would not slip.

All the children had of course taken turns getting to turn him over and over so that he wouldn't get too hot on any one side. It got uncomfortable for him, but not painful in any way. Alex and Sky really didn't feel comfortable so they didn't join in, but she just couldn't help look over at him as he turned and tried to yell in frustration, and sometimes laughter.

Bob was kept busy finding things to attach to him. So far he had let ribbon wind around Billy, several bows, tinsel, sparklers, duct tape, a small silver chain, a very long ribbon of toothpaste, garland, seaweed, vines, a jump rope, three scarves, and had held up a large black marker to Billy's scalp as he turned which drew lines in circles around his head. When Ember had come over to dance a lively jig, Bob had gone with her to dance as well which made Alexis feel a little better. She had started to feel sorry for Billy, at least a little.

Harmony walked over to the rotisserie and motioned for Gypsy to stop for a moment. She stuck a straw into a drink and put it in the corner of Billy's mouth so he could drink. After he had drank half the glass, Harmony reseated the gag and swirled her finger to Gypsy, signaling for her to start again. Harmony, as well as Jazz, Dia and John had finally returned to their normal looks, but the punishment to Billy kept going. Alex wondered how much longer they were going to keep it up before they allowed Billy off the hook. Or skewer as it was.

As Alex looked over yet again, she realized that someone had caught her stealing glances. John was walking towards her smiling, stopping only briefly to pour ice over Billy and making him try to yell with shock. He then continued over to where she and several other children were dancing. The music changed to a lively dance and he bowed to her and offered her his hand. "May I have this dance?"

Nervously she took it.

"Don't worry Xena," he chuckled. "Just go along with my steps. The man leads, although someone needs to tell Dia that someday…"

"I heard that!" Dia voice pierced the air. She stood over by the tent, pouring herself another drink, talking to Jazz.

"You always hear it sweetheart!" He shouted back over his shoulder. He smiled back down at Alexis and showed her where to put her arms. As he started to show her the basic steps Addy had wandered over and nudged Sky.

"You want to dance? Billy can't because he's, well, all tied up."

Skylar smiled at her and turned a little red.

"Oh you don't have to worry either. Dia isn't the only one that tends to lead." She winked at him and took his hands, placing one on her hip and the other in her hand. They started slowly, building momentum as Sky gained confidence in his steps.

Soon Jazz had run over and grabbed Ember and was swinging her wildly around, rarely touching the ground. Dia had taken Callen's arms and was dancing as well. Harmony was dancing with Richard, the other kids dancing with each other or alone.

Gypsy came running over and grabbed Bob and held him in her arms as she danced and twirled along with the others.

Alexis couldn't help but laugh as they narrowly missed Jackie dancing with Cadence. John swung them out of the way just in time. He laughed along with her which made her feel so much better. He swung her around again, this time picking her up briefly to jump over Colonel who was in the way, trying to figure out what they were doing.

She marveled at how much she felt better when John was around. He had a way of making her feel like everything would work out fine. The last week had been the first time in her life that she felt that way and late at night, the fear that something could come and steal it all away from her frightened her and tore at her dreams. It had become her worst fear.

The song came to an end and everyone clapped and laughed. John hugged her again, rubbing her on the back. Addy was hugging Sky not too far away. She reached down and petted Colonel on the head, he licked her hand appreciatively. Bob came over and put his hands up and pointed to the big dog's back, wanting up. Alex lifted him onto Colonel's back.

Before the next song started she heard some muffled mumbling. As she realized where it was coming from, Billy managed to get part of the gag out of his mouth.

"Hello! I'm burning on one side! Where's my rotation team!" Billy tried to yell as loud as he could.

Gypsy slapped her hands over her mouth and then ran to the handle, turning it again.

"Thank you! Sheesh! Can't get good help around here some days!" He grunted, but then chuckled.

Alex looked up at John who was still holding her hand. "How long are you going to leave him like that?"

"Oh, I don't know. He did get me into trouble, although briefly, with Dia and then the whole polyjuice potion stunt… hmmmm." He looked over at Jazz. "Hey Jazz! How long are we going to cook roast goat anyway?"

Jazz made a great show of tapping his chin and looking off into space. Alex was glad the man had put pants back on, but it was very amusing how he tended to check its contents every ten minutes or so just to make sure it had all come back to stay.

"Maybe I should check the core temperature of the meat to find out." Jazz wandered over to Billy and started poking at him as he turned round and round. "Someone have a thermometer?"

Dia giggled. "Hey, isn't there a rectal thermometer in the first aid kit?"

"I think you're right." Addy agreed. She immediately turned to Bob and waved a finger at him. "Don't even think about it Bob."

Bob's face fell from the huge grin it had suddenly sported. Colonel just groaned.

Billy still had his shirt off so Jazz took to tickling him every time he came around in easy reach. Billy started yelling every time he was on the downswing and overtaken with giggles when he was close to Jazz. Finally Billy started yelling "Okay, okay! I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry. I promise to never do that again. Jazz, stop tickling me…bwahahhahahha stop stop st- bwahhahahaha stop tickling me! I beg for your forgiveness!"

"Ohhhh Addy, you hear that? He's begging." Dia smirked, but then giggled. "Well I know how we should resolve this. Let's let our two new members decide." She turned to Alex and Sky. "So, do you think he's been punished enough, or should we leave him longer?" She gave them a wink.

Alex and Sky exchanged looks. Sky spoke up. "I think he's very sorry for the polyjuice potion. We should let him go."

"But," Alex cut in quickly before she lost the nerve, "he still owes John for getting him into trouble with Dia, so he should have to sing a song. By himself."

Next to her, John started snickering. He looked down and squeezed her hand. "Any idea on what song?"

She thought for a second. "How about that old song I'm Too Sexy For My Shirt? Would that do?"

He pulled her hand up to his face and kissed it. Then he pulled her into a hug again. "I think that's perfect. What do you think Dia?"

"I think that's a flash of brilliance." She smiled at Alex, and then looked over at Jazz and Billy. "Is that acceptable?"

Jazz nodded and looked down at Billy. He wiggled his fingers over Billy's body until he was screaming "It's fine, it's fine! I'd love to sing that song!" at the top of his lungs, punctuated by laughter.

Finally Jazz started undoing Billy, letting him fall unceremoniously to the ground face first at Gypsy's and his feet. Billy slowly pushed to his knees, spitting out sand. Gypsy stood and pointed, giggling at her dad.

Billy narrowed his eyes and pointed back at her. "You'd better run little girl…"

Gypsy took of squealing in laughter and ran straight to John, throwing her hands up to him. "Help me warden before he gets me!"

John lifted her up and held her on his hip. "Oh, you don't have to worry about big bad Billy; I won't let him get you Scamp. And he has a song to sing, doesn't he?"

Addy had wandered over and handed Billy another drink which he gulped down.

"You better watch how fast you drink those dear. Dia mixed it so it will be extra strong."

"Yeah well I'm going to need extra liquid courage…" Billy said as he slowly stood up, brushing all the things that were stuck on him off. He glanced over at Jackie who stood there looking at him with his arms crossed. "Hey, I thought you were my keeper? What happened?"

Jackie slowly shook her head. "Dad, you had that coming."

"Oh, thanks! Gads, I'm sticky and covered with, what the heck is this?" he said, pulling something sticky off his pants. "I need a bath."

"Yes you do!" Jazz yelled and grabbed him, dragging him down to the water. Clear from the beach they could hear Billy yelling and them both splashing around, and finally the two men laughing hard. When they got back they were both sopping wet.

John had finally put Gypsy back down to go play more with Ember, Bob and Colonel when Dia had walked over and gave John a kiss and a hug. She then hugged both Alex and Sky for good measure.

Billy and Jazz walked back into camp and both tried to hug their wives. Addy put up her wand in a threatening manner. "Don't even think about it!"

"I need to dry off somehow!"

"Well I'm not a towel."

Billy laughed and grabbed his shirt and put it on.

"Daddy," Gypsy giggled, "aren't you just going to take that right back off?"

He looked significantly and leaned in towards her which made her run off giggling and screeching again and hiding behind John and Dia. Billy glared at Ember but she just crossed her arms and glared right back making Billy laugh.

Harmony screamed as Jazz made a grab for her and got her in a bear hug, getting her clothes all wet.

"Better get on with it Billy before John and Jazz think up something even worse…" Addy smirked, trying to hide her smile.

Billy grabbed and downed another drink as Addy shook her head.

"You are going to be so sick tomorrow, you know that, right?"

He just shrugged and downed yet another drink before rolling his eyes and walking to the stage.

Dia walked over again and made her and John another drink. She was getting pretty tipsy herself by this time. "Well, I hope I don't have nightmares over this." She giggled to Addy.

Addison just rolled her eyes and shook her head as Dia walked back over and gave John his drink, who almost gagged. "Um, Dia, honey, you did remember to put at least some Pepsi in this with the whiskey, right?"

She looked at him and shrugged then took a swig of her own drink. "Tastes fine to me. I think…"

John chuckled and gave her another kiss, pulling her close to his body with his left arm as Billy finally reached the stage. On the way, he stole the rest of Harmony's and Jazz's drinks that were on the edge of the stage. He looked at his hand, blinking, shook his head and teetered to the left.

"Well this should be interesting." John mumbled.

"Define interesting?"

"Hello? Emergency room? Yeah, my buddy fell off the stage head first into a small crowd. He broke and leaked only alcohol…"

"Wait, wait!" Billy threw up his hands, signaling for a time out. He eyed the child suspiciously. "First of all, who are you?"

Richard tried unsuccessfully to stifle a huge sigh. "I'm Richie, remember?"

"Um, okay, fine." Billy put his hands down on his lap. "Next question, what were we talking about?"

Next to him, Skylar smirked.

"We were discussing the plans for Halloween. Remember? We were going to get Uncle Jazz back for last year?" Richie was about ready to give up. It was well past midnight and the bonfire was still blazing but he was growing tired.

"Sure, if you say so…" Billy took a drink from his glass, spilling some on his shirt. "Damn, alcohol abuse…" he mumbled to himself and then looked up and gave Skylar a startled look. "Hey, how long have you been standing there?"

Sky raised his eyebrows. "For as long as Richie has been standing here as well."

"Richie?" Billy said and once again looked over at him. "Now, you're Richie, right?"

"Uncle Billy…" Richie sighed. He could no longer decide if this was Billy's typical way of being funny or if he really was too drunk to remember.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Billy said again, holding up his hands. "I've got an idea. It's around here somewhere…" he said as he turned to the table he was sitting at and leaning on. It was covered with a wide assortment of stuff that had been used over the past evening. Billy rooted around and found the sticky post-it notes that Harmony had used to play a game of Who Am I with the children.

With a large pen, Billy wrote the word 'Richie' on the top page, pulled it off and stuck it to Richard's shirt. He then giggled as he did the same to Sky.

"Okay," Billy squinted and read the improvised nametag, "Richie. What were we talking about again?"

"We were talking about how you secretly want to take over the world using garden gnomes." Richard said with as straight of a face as possible.

"Really?" Billy asked and looked at Sky.

To Sky's credit, he nodded in agreement even though this was new to him.

"Well, okay then," Billy smiled. "Sounds like a plan. Did we come up with a plan of action?"

"Yes we did. You had decided to crown Bob as King of the Universe, then infest every person with horklumps to entice in the other gnomes and then you were going to use your switching spell and make mice out of men. Then take a nap."

"Hey, that sounds like a great plan. Did I think of that?"

"Yes, all but the part where you turn yourself into a fire bellied newt. Mom thought of that one."

"Why a newt?"

"Why not?"

Billy scratched his chin. "Hmmmm, good answer."

Richie dropped his face into his palm. Sky just snickered beside him.

Alexis found them and walked up next to Richie, giving him a quizzical look. Billy suddenly realized there was another person standing over him.

"Hang on, are there three of you now?"

"Yes, Uncle Billy. Alex has been standing here for the last hour waiting for you to give her the five galleons you owe her for losing the bet earlier." Richie said from his hand.

"Oh, right, right then. Um…." Billy searched the robe that sat on the chair behind him, knocking several things off the table in the process. Finally he found his coin purse and opened it, looking up at her.

"How much?"

"Seven galleons." Alex smiled.

"Oh, okay, um, here you go. Eight galleons. Do I need a receipt?"

"You already have one Uncle Billy. It is sitting on the table next to you." Richie sighed.

Alex looked over at Richie wondering what to do with the money.

Billy looked at the table and back at her again. "Hey, do I know you?" He then pulled out another post-it note and wrote 'Ember' on it.

"Um, Billy, sir," Alex stuttered a bit, "my name is Alexis."

"Oh, okay. Then who is Ember?"

The little red head came trotting over when she heard her name, followed closely by Gypsy.

"I'm Ember Uncle Billy."

"Um, okay." He went to stick the name tag on Alex but she grabbed his hand and helped him stick the paper to Ember instead. As he sat back, he noticed Gypsy smiling at him, her hair just as red as Ember's. "Wait, who are you? Are you a mirage?"

"Yes daddy. I'm a garage!" She giggled.

"Oh, well, good for you, sweetie." He giggled.

With an effort he finally was able to get Alex and Gypsy tagged with their correct names.

"So," Billy looked at the name tag again, "Richie, now what?"

"Well, Uncle Billy, you were just telling us all about the first night you slept with Auntie Addy."

"Oh, right! Where was I?"

"You were sneaking out." Richie couldn't help but grin. He knew very little about the details other than one time overhearing his mom teasing Addy over the two of them sneaking out together.

"OH!" came a shout. Jazz suddenly appeared out of the darkness and sat at the other side of the table, listening raptly, almost falling off his chair. "I want to hear this!"

"I had just snuck down the stair, right? And I could hear John behind me getting out of bed so I ran as fast as I could down the stairs and out the portrait hole."

"Did someone call my name?" John said as he walked over, drink in one hand, helping to hold up Dia with the other.

"Wait, who are you?" Billy asked as they walked up. Other children had started to gather around.

"I'm your worst nightmare." John replied, finding a chair and getting Dia to sit down in it before she fell over giggling.

Richard smiled to his dad who grinned back, then bend down slightly to read the name tag.

The older twins and Jackie had wandered over to listen to what had obviously become an interesting story. Billy refused to go on until he had name tags on the three of them. Jackie crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

Alexis elbowed Richie and then nodded her head in Jazz's direction. They watched him quietly sniggering to himself as he switched the nametags on Ember and Gypsy.

"So, why did you say my name there Billy?" John prompted the other man who was now trying in vain to get a name tag to stick to Colonel.

"Um, what?" Billy asked, blinking.

"You were running down the stairs with dad coming after you." Richie filled in for him.

"Oh, yeah, right!" Billy smiled and tried to sit farther up in his chair, readying to tell the story. "So, John was after me and I made it out into the hallway. I signaled Addy by bracelet so she knew what to expect. Luckily she made it out before John caught her. I think Dia did something to stop him. Not sure what though." He looked over at Dia who just smiled back at him.

It took Richie a moment to realize that Jackie had stomped off. He was pretty sure where she was heading.

"How did you stop him anyway, whoever you are…" Billy smiled back at her and laughed, trying to take a drink at the same time and ending up coughing.

"I got him into an argument. That always stops him cold." Dia slapped at John who moved out of the way in time, but then grabbed her hand and kissed it, kneeling down and then sitting on the sand in front of her chair between her legs. When he released her hand, she ran it through the back of his jet black hair absentmindedly.

"Oh, okay, that makes sense." Billy finally stopped coughing. "So anyway, there I was, running down the hallways trying not to get caught before I could find the room of requirement, and all I could think of was if the bed the room provided, did it have clean sheets?"

"Why did it need clean sheets Uncle Billy?" Ember said, standing by his knee with Gypsy beside her.

"Well," he squinted at the nametag, "Gypsy, you see… wait, when did my daughter start looking so much like Dia?"

"Since as long as she has been my mommy. But why the clean sheets? Were you going to make a fort with them? Couldn't dirty ones do?" Ember asked in that innocent way little kids have.

There were many people trying to hold back laughing, some accomplishing it better than others.

"Well you see honey, women don't like to-"

"BILLY!"

Addison came stomping over with Harmony right behind her who was almost in tears with laughter. Jackie was on her other side and did not look amused.

"WHAT! I'm telling a story here!" He turned back around to look at Ember, but the younger twins had stepped in and were wearing the name tags of Callen and Cadence. Billy looked confused and pointed a finger from one to another, reading the names and trying to make sense of it.

"Well come on daddy," Gypsy said from behind the twins where Billy couldn't see her. "What about the sheets?"

"Oh Merlin's Beard! When did you two become vantril.. vanrlir… van… feck it, when you learn to speak without speaking?"

"I have no idea what you mean dad." One of the children said, but it was hard to tell who.

"Fine, anyway, the sheets-"

"Were for a wonderful fort that we built and then put away afterwards. The end." Addison interrupted.

"That's not much of a story Uncle Billy." It was Ember's voice but Billy seemed to think it was coming from the dog.

Billy put his face close to the Sheppard and with a conspiratorially tone he whispered, "That's because I didn't get to tell the good part. Her skin was so- OW who hit me?"

Addy smacked the back of his head again. "I think maybe you've had enough to drink tonight."

"Awwww come on! I was just telling a story… about, um, something."

Addy pulled over a chair and placed it between Billy and Dia's, careful not to put the leg down on John's hand in the sand.

"Chose a different story. One appropriate for kids." Addy said with a glare.

Billy looked at her for a moment, and then grabbed the post it notes and started to write her name, giggling madly. As he looked back at her and saw the fierce look on her face, he crumbled the paper instead.

Dia busted up laughing. Richie was starting to fear she was going to fall off her chair. His father tilted his head back farther, looking up briefly at his wife, and then resting his head on her leg.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Billy said putting up his index finger. He leaned over giggling to himself again, writing on the post-it note pad again. When he leaned back he pulled the page off the pad and stuck it to Addison's belly.

The note had the name 'Glockenspiel."

Dia bend over and read the name, bursting out laughing hysterically and landing in Addy's lap, gasping for air. John got up onto his knees and read the note and started a full belly laugh as he tried to pull Dia back onto her chair.

Addison glower at Billy and everyone else did nothing to stop the uproar. Jazz leaned over the table and read it and howled with glee. Addy crossed her arms and looked amazingly like Jackie.

"Alright everyone. I think it's awfully late. Time for bed." She said, hauling Billy to his feet and turning him towards the tent while trying not to have him step on anyone.

"Awww come on! It was a great story! And a happy ending too!" Billy couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice as she held him up so he could walk.

"I think it is late and time to get undressed." She said to him.

John was on his knees in front of Dia who was wiping tear from her eyes. "You know," he said with a sly smile, "I agree completely." He quickly pulled off her boots, and then slipped Dia's robes off her shoulders and undid the top buttons of her outer shirt, chuckling the whole time.

Addy turned to look at what the silly laugh was about. Abruptly she let Billy go and turned back to John, slapping him on the back of his head. Billy wobbled and did a full face plant in the soft sand.

"Okay you two, take it into the tent." She said, pulling John to his feet. When she was fairly certain he wasn't going to fall, she took Dia's drink away from her and set it down next to John's empty glass. He grabbed a hold of Dia before she fell, holding her tightly against his body, her arms wrapped around his neck.

Jazz stood up wearily and went over to help Billy who was spitting out sand. Billy looked up at Jazz and blurted out, "You're not my wife."

"Well I'm glad you noticed there Billy boy. Want a kiss anyway?" Jazz wiggled his eyebrows at him and making kissing noises.

Billy put his sandy hand on Jazz's face, trying to push it unsuccessfully away as he cringed and laughed.

Jazz finally stopped trying to kiss Billy as he saw John walking his wife back to the tent without watching where he was going due to being lip locked with her. John's hands were busy undoing the rest of Dia's outer shirt and pulling the inner one out from being tucked into her pants. He was leaning back slightly, her hold on him almost completely dragging her off her feet. She was kissing him passionately, trying to pull the shirt he had on over his head but without removing her lips from his face.

"Hey Addy! We should try that!" Billy laughed, gaining him another sour look from Addy who was still trying to steer John and Dia into the tent.

"You know Billy…" Jazz said in a sly voice, "if you want to learn something new, now's the time…"

Without warning Addy lunged at Jazz who bolted away in a fit of laughter. Billy fell to the ground face first again, getting another mouthful of sand.

Harmony was laughing so hard by this time that she fell into a nearby chair.

Sky's face was red with merriment as he asked Richie, "Are they always like this?"

"Drunk? No, someone always stays sober for in case there is any danger. Usually it is mom and dad, especially since with their job anything could happen. The only time mom and dad get a break is if Auntie Addy is pregnant. So every few years they get time off for, well, in this case, bad behavior." He shrugged. "Besides, if anything bad did happen, you'd be surprised at how fast everyone sobers up."

After unsuccessfully trying to catch Jazz who was surprisingly light on his feet, Addy went back over and rolled Billy over onto his back and stood on him with one foot, holding down the giggling man.

John and Dia finally realized they were getting glared at and turned to help Addy pull Billy off the ground. Jazz came over and helped John beat the sand off from the man.

"Hey you two, don't bruise him, I'll need all his parts working later." Addy said with a stern look, but then let out a laugh.

John and Dia turned to the kids.

"Okay, bedtime everyone." John called to them.

"But I'm not tired," Aria said as she stifled a yawn.

"I can see that," he leaned over and read her tag, "Bob." He messed her hair up with his hand then gave her a hug and a kiss, and sent her into the tent after Billy and Addy.

Slowly all the children wandered into the tent, each one receiving a hug and kiss from either Dia or John. When it was Ember's turn, John got to even give a hug and kiss to Colonel. Gypsy held up Bob too. With a roll to his eyes, he leaned over to give Bob a hug and kiss but Bob screamed and pointed to Dia.

"Oh, sorry Bob." Gypsy looked at the little potato of a man, "I forgot you liked women better."

Dia gave Bob a hug and kiss, and even pulled a small necklace from her pocket. It was made of very small sea shells and she placed it over his neck. Bob beamed which immediately made Gypsy and Ember smile.

"Now get to bed my little Firebug, Scamp." John said, shooing them into the tent.

Harmony followed her other younger twin in after they had verified their pigmy puffs were still with them. Jazz insisted on getting a hug and kiss from both John and Dia. When Jazz came back for seconds, John laughed and shoved him into the tent after his wife.

The last ones still out were the six older kids. John turned towards them and pulled Dia close to his chest, holding her tight.

"You are all old enough now to decide for yourselves if you want to go to bed or stay up." John said to them. "You don't have to worry about the fire, it is spelled to go out on its own and it can't throw sparks or leave its ring. I think all the wood has been used up so I wouldn't stay up too long. We have a long day ahead tomorrow. Diagon Alley awaits us. Whenever everyone is able to drag themselves out of bed that is."

"Well," Richie thought about it, trying to decide. "I am tired, but how often do we get to stay up around a bonfire at the beach. And I'm sure there will be people sleeping in, but whether Ember will allow that or not is iffy, but on the other hand we have the ability to go to bed early tomorrow night, but it still would be a very long day…"

"Okay, okay there Hamlet. To bed or not to bed, that is the question you all will have to answer for yourselves. Goodnight." His father said with a wink.

"If you need anything don't hesitate… to wake Billy up." Dia snickered. "Goodnight everyone."

"Goodnight mom." Richie said with the rest of the kids. A moment later his dad picked his mom up in his arms and carried her into the tent, closing the flap behind them but not spelling it sealed.

The kids stood there for a moment, lost in their own thoughts. Alex finally broke the silence.

"I just wanted to thank all of you guys. This has probably been one of the best days of my life." She said quietly as she looked to each of the others.

"I agree, finding out we were wizards is pretty high on the list, but today…" Sky broke off, his eyes getting a little misty.

"Well I'd like to apologize to the two of you for our parent's terrible behavior." Jackie started to say.

"Apologize? No need, I think they were hilarious." Alexis said with a smile. "Besides, I think they are all wonderful. You have all been blessed with growing up in such a fantastic family. And I don't think they were nearly as inebriated as they let on…"

Jackie seemed to think about this for a while as they all stood again, staring at the fire trying to keep warm as the cold wind picked up.

The tent rustled and Dia emerged once again, her arms filled with coats and blankets. "I thought you might be getting cold out here, so I brought you these…"

Richie couldn't help but make eyes at the others in a silent joke between them as she made everyone put on jackets and then wrapped them up in fluffy blankets. She pulled out her wand and on the nearby table was six steaming mugs of what he knew would be hot chocolate.

Dia then walked back to each kid in turn and pulled out a winter hat and stuck it on their heads, and pushed furry gloves on each hand, giving them a quick hug and moving onto the next. She hugged Alexis and Skylar extra long and asked them if they needed a scarf as well. The shook their heads no each time. Richie was last. After she got the hat and gloves on she hugged him, holding him tight for a few extra moments. "You sure you're warm enough sweetie? I can spell a wind break around the campsite…"

"Dia." The soft words came from behind them as John walked up to his wife. "Come on to bed, they will be fine. There could be a sudden arctic blast and I doubt they would notice now." He smiled at her and carefully pulled her arms away from Richard.

"I know, I just wanted to make sure…" She said, trailing off.

He pulled her close to him, catching her eyes with his. "They are fine, okay?" His eyes searched hers. "Time to come to bed."

Slowly she nodded and they withdrew from the fire, walking slowly back to the tent with his arm around her. Before they disappeared inside, she glanced back one more time at them, her eyes sad and far off. His father leaned in and kissed her on the side of her face and whispered something to her, then gently guided her back inside.

With a breathy voice, Skylar asked, "What was that about?"

"Oh, don't worry." Jackie said with a sigh, "she always is just sure we are going to freeze to death at any given time. Some days are worse than others. Just like on sunny days she practically makes us bathe in sunscreen."

"Yeah, but why?" Alex asked.

The other girl just shrugged. "How would I know? Grownups are weird."

Richie pulled the blanket a little farther around himself. He had a suspicion why, but decided to keep it to himself.

They all took a mug and Cadence raised his mug above his head. "Here's to Alex and Sky for surviving their first camping trip. And our family."

"Here here!" They all said as they clinked their mugs together then sipped some of the hot beverage.

Quietly, Richard mumbled, "One for all and all for one."

Chapter 10

The Morning After

** Addy awoke to the sound of giggling. She looked over at Serenity who was sleeping soundly. Quietly she arose from bed. Billy snored loudly and rolled over but continued sleeping. Addy put her robe on and headed out of the room. She checked the children's rooms, and found them empty. The giggling continued to grow louder, it sounded as if a hundred children were outside the tent. John and Dia came out of their room with looks of puzzlement on their faces. Harmony too emerged from her room. **

** "Have any of you seen Jazz?" She asked.**

** "Nope, but I think if we follow the giggles we may find him." Addy rolled her eyes and led the way down the stairs.**

** The sun was just leaving the horizon as the four adults stepped out of the tent. Jazz and the children sat on the beach surrounded by hundreds of seashells. The giggling was louder than ever. Gypsy came running up to her mother, her hands full of shells. Addy scooped her up in her arms.**

** "Look Mommy!" She held the shells out. "Uncle Jazz did it. We were all finding shells for Sky's room. Jackie said if we held them up to our ears we could hear the ocean. Uncle Jazz thought that was neat, but they should be happier!" Gypsy giggled as she held one of the shells up for Addy to hear.**

** "Um yeah, well I need to work on the volume. I just can't get them to be any quieter." **

**Billy staggered out of the tent. Blinking at the brightness of the sun, Serenity in his arms, her hands covering her daddy's ears. Quickly she would take her hands away and watch Billy wince in pain from the noise. This made her giggle even louder.**

** "Yeah, I would say so! There is far too much giggling going on at this hour." Billy looked at Serenity sternly. She moved her hands from Billy's ears again and squealed with delight, as he once again winced in pain.**

** Addy sat Gypsy down, and pulled her wand from her robe. Pointing it at Billy's head she made a pair of earmuffs appear. Serenity frowned at her mother. Addy took Serenity from Billy's arms.**

** "Well I think I will get breakfast on. Something tells me this is going to be a long day. Billy I am going to need your help. John and Dia I think you two better get a head start on packing things up." John and Dia nodded in agreement. Addy led Billy into the tent.**

** Addy and Billy had just about finished cooking when Dia entered the kitchen. In one hand she carried what looked like a very torn up storage container. In the other hand a very disgruntled Bob.**

** "Mission control, we have a problem!" Dia said as she firmly sat Bob in the small highchair Addy had fond for him. She tied him in with a bit of string she pulled from her pocket.**

"**What the heck?" Addy crossed her arms and shook her head.**

"**Every stinking one of them has been gnawed on or eaten. I found him in what is left of this one. I have no idea how we are going to get everything packed." Dia sighed and blew a stray strand of hair from her face. Addy could tell that Dia was shifting into her grumpy moods.**

"**Well do the best you can. We will put everything in Harm's bag, and I will sort it out in the next day or so. You might put storage containers on the list for Diagon Alley." Addy turned and face Bob who was wiggling and trying to get out of the chair. "You Sir are in big trouble!" Tears welled up in the little mans eyes. He began to pout, and sniffle. "I am sure you have eaten quite your fill! So don't come crying to me when you have a belly ache! " Addy shook her finger at him. Bob let out a cry and began sobbing and wailing. "I will have none of that from you! Suck it up Mister!" Addy was quite cross. Bob quickly quieted down, only the occasional silent sob or shudder. Addy looked over to Billy who had been tending the bacon. He was grinning from ear to ear. "And just what are you smiling at?" Addy snapped at him.**

"**Nothing dearest. I was just thinking how beautiful you are when you're mad." Billy removed the pan from the stove. "But then again you are always beautiful my love."**

"**Oh good save Billy." Dia rolled her eyes, shook her head, turned and left the room.**

"**Yes, good save William." Addy said flatly as she removed the earmuffs from Billy's head. "Now go call the others for breakfast, it's getting cold."**

**Breakfast was eaten. Bob was released to Gypsy and Ember for good behavior, on the condition they kept Colonel's leash on him and not let him out of their sight. At one point he had started to chew through the leash but Addy just waved a finger at him. Bob just bowed his head and kicked at the ground. Addy set tasks for everyone. Richie, Jackie, Melody, Cadence, Sky and Alex were to help John and Dia with the majority of the packing. Harmony would tidy up the camp-sight with help from Billy. Jazz was to keep an eye on the younger children. Callen was to keep his eye on Jazz.**

**Addy went to work as soon as she cleared everyone from the kitchen. She made sure to keep an eye on John and Dia as she worked. After the events at breakfast, she wasn't sure how long Dia would last before she exploded. **

**John and Dia gave each of the children a list of tasks. Alex and Sky didn't need to be asked twice. They were eager to pull their weight and earn their keep. Richie glanced over his list and set it aside. He seemed more focused on doting on his mother, and keeping her in a cheerful mood. Dia didn't say anything about this; she seemed to enjoy his help. Jackie on the other hand hadn't even picked up her list, let alone read it. She hadn't put down her sketch pad since mid-breakfast when all the commotion started.**

**Jackie had captured the oatmeal running down Dia's face perfectly. She made a note on the drawing, as she often did. "When it comes to giving dad a hard time, Serenity now seems to think that she is the only one permitted to do so. Let's hope Auntie D. remembers that." It had taken John almost 10 minutes to convince Dia that Billy had not put the child up to flicking a spoon full of her oatmeal at her. Jackie also noted, "Let's hope that dad remembers not to burn the bacon again." Her drawing had also captured the gooey liquid running down Billy's head and face from the floating bottle above his head.**

**Jackie was rushed back to the commotion of the goings on of the tent when she felt a hand on her shoulder.**

"**Hey there Monet, want to give me a hand?" Jackie wrinkled her nose and raised her eyebrow at him.**

"**Oh, sure Uncle John." She jumped up and set her sketch book down. "Are you okay?" she asked quickly. With his best fake smile he told her he was fine, and wanted to know why she asked.**

** "Well," She looked at him tilting her head eyeing him up and down looking an awful lot like her mother. "The normal you would have said something like 'Hey Van Gough, would you lend me your ear?' " John looked at the girl through weary eyes, as a genuine smile turned up the sides of his mouth.**

** "Hey, that is a good one! I will have to remember that." Jackie was sure that this comment was his way of dodging her question. She didn't press the issue. She just sighed, picked up her list and went to work. John and Jackie worked on folding all the blankets in the tent. John had gathered all the ones he could find in the other rooms into a pile. **

** They were about half way through the blankets when Serenity came trotting into the tent. She was giggling as loud as she could. Bob had managed to take the leash off, and had attached it to the back of the baby girl's jumper. Bob was running as fast as his stubby little legs could carry him trying to keep up. Serenity did one lap around the living area and bolted out the tent flap, laughing all the way. Jackie couldn't take her eyes off the pair. **

** "Hey, Uncle John! Hold this." Jackie thrust the half folded blanket she had been working on into his arms. She ran over, snatched up her sketch pad, and bolted out the door after them. Richie dropped what he was doing, and chased after her.**

"**I have got to see this." He shouted on his way out. John's shoulders slumped as he let out a heavy sigh. Alex and Sky, who had finished their tasks, and were now trying to repair or salvage as many of the storage bins as they could, looked longingly out the door. **

"**Go on you two." John smiled at them. They started to argue with him but he just shook his head and pointed out the door. **

"**It won't do any good to argue. Go on you two." John pushed them toward the door. They thanked him profusely and ran off to join the others. As they did so, Harmony and the two youngsters almost collided at the tent opening. **

"**Sorry Professor, I mean Harmony." Sky shouted on his way out.**

**Addy had been standing in the door way between the kitchen and living area. She watched the whole thing; she now wore a sour look on her face. Dia was grumbling under her breath, but no one could make out what she was saying. Addy looked at Harmony. **

"**Well this isn't going to pack it's self. Good thing I can pack the kitchen in no time flat." Harmony shook her head. She and Addy began helping John and Dia with the packing. **

**The four adults had just about finished getting everything into Harmony's bag when suddenly a huge commotion was heard outside. Jazz came barging though the tent at a dead run. **

"**I'm in trouble!" He quickly yelled as he passed Addy. His attention on her and not on what was in front of him. He collided with Dia and sent Harmony's bag flying through the air. As it flew through the tent its contents spilled everywhere. Billy, who had been helping Jazz keep the children entertained, came rushing in.**

"**I'm gonna kill you Jasper Whitehorse!" Billy screamed, and then skidded to a stop. Callen who had been chasing the two men trying to keep them from getting into trouble, ran smack into his father's back side. He peeked around his father. There lay Jazz and Dia in a heap, among the horrendous mess. "Um correction." Billy said quietly. "Dia is gonna kill you!" Callen had already turned tail and made it out of the tent. As Billy turned to follow his son out of the tent, Addy couldn't help but notice the Hermit Crab dangling from his ear.**

**John stood dumbfounded. He scratched at the stubble on his face and shook his head. Addy could see the exasperation in his eyes. He helped Dia to her feet, and flashed a look at Jazz that made him shudder. Before Dia's temper got the best of her, Addy whispered in her ear. Dia's face smoothed, as she took a deep breath. Addy turned to John.**

"**John, come take a walk with me. Harmony will you and Jazz help Dia with this mess. I think John needs a break." Addy held the tent flap open as John walked through. "We won't be gone long."**

**Addy and John walked along the beach in silence for a few moments watching the children playing and listening to the sounds of their laughter.**

"**How do you do it Addy? I mean and not lose your mind?" John's voice was somber.**

"**Well to tell you the truth, I am not sure I haven't lost it. Everyone says we have to be crazy to live the way we do." Addy smiled at him. "But I can tell you learning to take breaks, and how to say NO, is a big help." **

"**But what fun is someone who says no all the time? I just want everyone to have fun and enjoy the time we all get to spend together." John was watching the waves come into the shore.**

"**Oh and how much have you enjoyed this morning? John it isn't your job to make everything okay for everyone. It is when things go wrong that make us appreciate the good times. Sometimes those are the opportunities, when things get said, things that need to be said. That way we face them, move on and grow. Honestly John I thought you knew that. If Dia had never faced Richard's spirit, where do you think she would be now? I am just saying that it is okay for things to go bad once in a while. I mean we tend to do alright when you and Dia are off keeping the Wizarding world safe." Addy was looking at John with her hands on her hips. Billy walked up beside John. He was carrying Serenity in his arms.**

"**Hey John, take her for a minute." Billy handed the child to John. Serenity opened her mouth as if to let out a wail. **

"**Oh no you don't, you little Howler Monkey." John scolded. Serenity crossed her arm and gave him the stink eye.**

**Billy hugged his wife and kissed her softly on the cheek. "That was really good John, but had you told me no, it would have been even better." Serenity giggled and stuck her tongue out at John. John tickled her belly, making her squeal with delight.**

"**Most people would say it is Addy that should tell you No, more often." John gave Addy a sly little grin.**

"**But I am irresistible." Billy chuckled as he put his arm around Addy.**

**Addy put her hand on her belly. "These are the reasons I am glad I don't always tell him no." She smiled at the men. They stopped as they neared the tent once again. "Just try to remember to breathe sometimes sweetie and NO isn't a bad word!" Addy smiled at John.**

"**Well if Mutt and Jeff here could control themselves once in a while, I might get a chance to." John sighed.**

"**Hey that wasn't my fault!" Billy said defensively.**

"**Billy you were the one who chased Jazz into the tent." Addy pointed out.**

"**But he gave me that shell with the crab in it on purpose. And if you haven't noticed," Billy turned his head. "I can't get the damn thing off. I think he spelled it to stay there."**

**Addy giggled. "It serves you right. You need to learn some self control. If you had just let it go it wouldn't have happened."**

"**She is right Billy. Sometimes you just have to let it slide." John nodded in agreement with Addy. "A very smart lady just pointed that out to me." He winked at Addy. "But I think it is best we don't point it out to Dia, that this was Billy's fault. We do want him to live to see the birth of his next child."**

"**Yes, I agree!" Billy concurred. **

"**Last child." Addy corrected. "I do have my career to think about." Addy smiled at the boys. Billy spun Addy around to face him. **

"**You didn't? When did you find out? Why didn't you tell me?" Billy gasped**

"**I did! I found out Friday and well honestly, when did I have time?" Addy answered.**

"**You mean they are going to publish you book?" John asked. Addy nodded at him. "That is wonderful. Do the girls know?"**

"**I told them yesterday." Addy opened the tent flap, and walked in. Everything had been returned to Harmony's bag. **

"**Told who, what?" Jazz asked.**

"**Well our little Addy is going to be a published Author!" John informed Jazz. Jazz grabbed Addy in a huge bear hug, and spun her around. **

"**That is so awesome Addy! We should celebrate!" Jazz sat her down.**

"**No." John said firmly, and smiled at Addy. "We really need to get the rest of our things packed. There is work to be done, and I know about eleven children who can use a good day of work. We still have to go to Diagon Alley. Let's be about it!"**

It was much later in the day than Sky had expected when they all arrived at Diagon Alley. The professor, Jazz, had ended up getting stuck with taking all the camping gear back to the house while the others went to Diagon Alley as the sun was already starting to wane in the horizon. Skylar now understood what Dia had said about the mess around the camp before they left. It had taken everyone to tidy up and make the place as clean as it had been before they arrived. Now that they were staring at the rows of neat little shops, Sky was nervous. He adored this new family but it still felt strange to have things bought for him without expecting something in return.

Dia had held his and Richard's hands as they apperated and went through the dusty old tavern called the Leaky Cauldron. Alex and Gypsy held John's hands as Ember sat on her father's shoulders to arrive with them. Even though Sky was sure that Dia had more to drink the night before, it was John that was looking worse for wear.

Once they had arrived, they had set off for the bookstore to get brand new school books for him and Alexis. But it wasn't more than a few yards before someone recognized Dia and stopped them on the street.

"Should I be worried now that two of our famous Aurors are in the Alley?" The man said with a smile on his face.

"Only if you're doing something wrong." The tall woman smiled back genially and stepped closer to the well dressed man.

The gentleman looked down at Gypsy. "So little one, where's your daddy? I work with him occasionally at the Ministry you know."

Gypsy smiled back up at him. "Daddy had to stop at the doctor's office. He has crabs. Uncle Jazz gave it to him."

The man blinked twice. Dia's smile grew but John cut her off. "Hermit crabs. Not a word from you Dia."

As the two spoke, Richard stifled yet another yawn. His mom noticed and twisted her shoulders to them. "Why don't you take Sky and Alex to the bookstore and start picking out books. I'll be there shortly."

Richie nodded and motioned his head on which way to go.

"Dad, I want to go too." Ember said, moving to get down from John's shoulders.

"Oh no you don't Firebug. You and Scamp can stay here with me." John said, not letting her down.

"But dad, this is booooring. Mom is going to talk to this guy all day." Ember whined.

There was a tugging at his robes. Gypsy looked up at him. "And you said we needed to pick out a new storage boxes for mommy since the others got destroyed this morning." Bob was inside her robe pocket, still gnawing on a piece of one of the mutilated storage boxes.

With a sigh, John ran his hand through the back of his black hair.

Dia smiled at him. "It's okay honey. Why don't you take the Trouble Twins and pick out new containers from the store over there. That should keep you three busy."

"Okay love." John leaned over and gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. He shook the well dressed man's hand firmly. "Nice to see you again Mr. Horner."

As Sky, Alex and Richie walked off; Sky noticed a strange look on Richard's face when he glanced over his shoulder at the man. "Is there something wrong Richie? Don't you like the man?"

For a second, Richie didn't respond. Finally he shrugged. "He is one of the relatives from my namesake's family mom and dad keeps in touch with."

"Is that a problem?"

The dark haired boy just shrugged, and didn't say anything else as they walked to the bookstore that was part way down the block. As Sky read the sign for Flourish & Blotts, Alex nudged him.

"So, how long do you bet until those two little girls get away from John?"

"Why do you think they are going to escape from him?" Sky asked her, looking back over his shoulder.

"You didn't see the looks on their faces? They are up to something."

Richard opened the door and held it for the other two. "Those two are always up to something. But I'll take five to ten minutes tops."

It was a quarter hour later that Jackie and Callen showed up in the bookstore. Sky smiled at them as they approached.

"Got everything you need yet?" She asked as she surveyed an end display with new books. One of the books was slowly creeping over to another book that had a lock on it but wasn't secured.

"Just about." Alex replied, grabbing two potions books and holding one out for Sky. He took the book and added it to his new cauldron, but couldn't help but watch the end stand along with Jackie. The first book was all black with a pair of eyes and a spy glass. Its spine held in shimmering silver letters the title Secret Agent Chronicles. "Your mom and dad here?"

Callen yawned and scratched at his neck. "Yeah, mom stopped in and showed Uncle John which storage containers she wanted but he seemed rather preoccupied with looking through every large container in the store."

Sky traded looks with Alex briefly.

"I called it," was all Richie said as the diary on the stand next to them started shrieking as the spy book tried to open it up. Another book titled Famous Librarians started shushing them.

Jackie sighed and crossed her arms. "Let me guess, Ember and Gypsy was with him?"

"Yeah." Sky smirked as Jackie rolled her eyes. "Should we go help him find the girls?"

"Nah," Callen said as the spy book played dead as another book slid down from the upper shelves. It was a bright blue book titled Police Squad. "Mom didn't seem to be worried so I'm sure it will be fine."

"Too bad Colonel got sent home with Jazz," Sky watched the book shelf on his other side buzzed in its net. The small cage was alive with books about flying, "maybe he could sniff them out."

"Why doesn't he just message them on the bracelet and tell them to come out or else?" Alex asked.

"Or else what?" Richie turned to look questioningly at her.

"Well if they are hiding and being bad, shouldn't they be, you know, in trouble?" Alex shrugged.

"I'm guessing they are playing hide and seek with him. Mom said that going into that store was going to keep all three of them busy." Richard turned around and watched as the Secret Agent book tried to cuddle up to the book on Ancient Myths and Secrets.

"So your mom knew the girls were going to try something and didn't do anything about it?" Sky said in awe.

"Well Ember was right, when mom stops to talk to Jim Horner, it often takes a long time to finish the conversation." Richie reached out and selected another book from the stacks of shelves and set it beside the Secret Agent book. It was a title Sky recognized. Crime and Punishment. The Secret Agent book closed its eyes to barely cracks and lay on the table, glaring at Richie.

"But John looked so tired; maybe we should finish here and go help him." Alex said thoughtfully, looking out the window.

"And make dad admit he couldn't find the girls on his own?" Richie said, picking out the last of the school books and handing them over. "I was thinking that we should pay a visit to the shop where Em and Gyp found the key. Maybe the shopkeeper has more information on it."

"I already did that the last visit Richie." Jackie said in a slightly superior tone of voice. "I doubt he would have any information on it now than he did two months ago."

"Are you children looking for books about keys?" A friendly but slightly harassed man shuffled over to them and smiled. "We have a wonderful book on key types of every kind in the next section over. You can't miss it. But sometimes it is frightfully hard to open, so if you have any trouble, just let me know. I may have to pick a couple of the locks on it again."

The Secret Agent book seemed to take interest in the exchange. Sky glanced at it, then over to Richie.

"Well, why not, you never know." He said. "It could be the-"

"Oh, Richie. Don't go with that terrible pun." Jackie shook her head at him and then walked into the next section of books. She came back with a book shaped like a giant key that had locks of every sort on it. After surveying it for a few seconds, she pulled out her wand. "Alohomora." The locks all popped open.

"Very good young miss!" The man said. "If you need anything else, just let me know." Before he left, the older man set the police and crime books back on their respective shelves and took the diary with him. The Secret Agent book perked up, trying to use the spy glass to see into the book of keys.

Jackie flipped through the pages until she came upon one about keys that wound clocks. "Hey you guys, look at this!" She showed them the page. On it was drawings and pictures of many keys that wound all sorts of clocks. They all vaguely resembled the key in Richard's footlocker in shape. "I think we've been looking for the wrong kind of locks. The key we have must wind a clock at Hogwarts. That's why it seems too small for any locks."

"I think you're right Jackie." Richard agreed, not noticing the small smile on Jackie's face.

"There you guys are," came a voice across the room. The twins Melody and Cadence walked over and stopped, peering inquisitively at the book.

"According to this book, the key we have is to wind a clock." Richie said to the twins.

"Oh, cool. No wonder we couldn't find the lock." Melody said, and then looked at the others. "Mom is waiting for you two in Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions next door. She wanted to get you new robes and then you're supposed to meet Auntie Addy at the clothing store next to the Owl Emporium."

"By the way," Cadence added, "any idea why Ember and Gypsy are at the Magical Menagerie?"

"They are?" Alex said a little anxiously. "No wonder John can't find them. Should we do something about it?"

"I wouldn't worry about it," Richie stated, making his way over to the registers. "That store knows our family really well. If there is trouble, we'll know about it fast."

Sky could tell that Alex didn't think much about that plan but was too afraid to say anything and walked over to the registers with the others. The plump woman behind the counter looked over everything and totaled it up.

"Okay Richard. Tell your mother I've put it on the tab. Tell all your parents' hello for me." She said warmly. "Oh, and Jackie, let your dad know to come and get that gardening book as soon as he can. It has sprouted roots and keeps trying to bloom."

"Yes, ma'am, I will." Jackie told her as they each took some of the books and walked out of the store.

Sky glanced back at the friendly man who had helped them out earlier who was now struggling to get the book of keys out of the Secret Agent's pages. He felt bad that they had set it down without putting it safely away. The Police Squad book was blowing its whistle and the cage of flying books was swooping this way and that trying to get a look.

"Don't worry Sky," Richie said as they left, "he would rather be dealing with that then the bin of Monster Book of Monsters. Trust me."

The clothing store had been a scary place for Alexis. Both Harmony and Addy kept having her try on more and more clothes as they thought of things they felt she would need. Dresses, shoes, pants, tops, cloaks, and many other types of garments Alexis hadn't been aware there was. Addy had at one point saw the distress on her face and commented that it could be worse: Dia could be trying to buy for her. It would have been much quicker but all she'd have was more sweaters and long sleeve shirts.

Skylar, on the other hand, loved it all. He had even found a pretty tiara that fit his head and tried it on with a smile.

When they were finally finished with their whirlwind shopping spree, they stepped out into the twilight that had overtaken the Alley. Addy checked her bracelet and conferred with Harmony. Jazz had been overdue back from the joke shop with Billy. With a shake to her hair, Addy's locks turned from Periwinkle to reddish blue. Harmony stuffed the rest of the clothing into her purse since Jazz was supposed to pick up another trunk and return with it and hadn't.

"Was there anything you kids wanted to do before we left for Hogwarts?" Addy asked as she surveyed the darkening streets.

"I'd love a quick run to The Owl Emporium." Jackie said thoughtfully. "I still think we need an owl. When Auntie Dia sends the hawk with messages, it freaks out the wizards."

Addy sighed. "That's why she does it dear. Besides, if it is going to live in our backyard, it might as well work. I'm thankful she hasn't brought it into the house since the magical mice incident a few years back. But if you want to have a look, go ahead."

"Thanks mom." Jackie said and walked off into the door next to the clothing store. The twins, Mow and Cow, went with her.

"I'm going to run over to the music store. I need new violin strings." Richie said.

"Sounds great. Don't take too long. And I think your dad said he needed new resin anyway."

"Sure thing." Richie started off.

"Hey, wait up!" Callen yelled and ran off after Richard.

"Fine Cal, you can go with me but I swear if you stop at the baby store again I'm leaving you behind." Richard's voice carried down the stone alley way.

"Um, Addy, ma'am…" Alex said with hesitation.

"Yes?" The woman's attention came back from staring at the joke shop in irritation.

"At the bookstore, the woman mentioned a book for Billy that was, well, blooming. That it needed picked up."

"Oh, darn. I wonder if he remembered to do that." Addison bit her lip. "I'd better check on it. Thanks for reminding me." She turned to Harmony. "Hey, can you get a head start on finding those two boobs of ours? They know it is getting late and we need to get the kids back to school."

"I can do that." Harmony said sweetly. She glanced at Skylar and Alexis. "Did you two want to come? Maybe get something fun while you are there?"

Alex shook her head no. She already felt terrible having so many things bought for her. "I thought I'd go and see what John and Dia are doing. If that's okay."

"Of course that's okay!" The blond woman said sweetly. "But you could be missing out on some fun. Billy and Jazz have had the younger twins and Serenity in the joke shop for a while. Who knows what could be happening there!" She smiled with a twinkle in her eye.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Alexis mumbled.

Addy and Harmony exchanged looks and smirks.

"Okay, well just don't get lost. Sky?"

"I'll go with Alex. No one should be wandering alone, right?" He said.

"Correct. See? You two already fit right in." Addy glanced over at the joke shop once more before she sighed again and headed to the bookstore and Harmony to the joke shop.

After they were out of ear shot Sky turned to her. "Still worried about Ember and Gypsy?"

"Yeah. I still see Dia talking to that man, but I don't see the little girls or John."

With a slight laugh, Sky remarked as they started walking along towards The Container Store, "Wow, she wasn't kidding when Ember said Dia would talk to that man all day. The day is over and they are still standing there."

As they passed Dia and Mr. Horner, she gave them a smile and nod. They walked on and up the steps to the store.

"Isn't it weird that she hasn't noticed there is trouble?" Sky said quietly as they saw John though the door window looking worried and exhausted.

Not knowing what to say, Alexis just shrugged and opened the door. John saw them and immediately pursed his lips and scratched the back of his head.

"Everything okay?" Alex asked looking around. There was a pile of shells on the table in the middle, the conches all giggling and laughing. Around the store more giggles came from various locations.

"I have no idea how those two managed to set out so many of these shells so quickly." He sighed.

"Why don't you just tell them on the bracelets to come and clean this up or else they will be grounded?" Sky asked hesitantly.

"We usually play hide and seek to keep the girls busy. But damn, this is the first time I've actually lost. Kinda hurts the ego a bit…"

"So what are you going to do?" Alex asked in a worried tone.

John groaned. He touched the bracelet and waited for a response. He grew increasingly worried as there came no response.

"Ah damn. I'm going to have to tell Dia." He scratched the back of his head again with increasing frustration.

His bracelet buzzed but his face went from frustrated to confused.

"What did they say?" Sky couldn't resist asking.

"I asked them where they were, and they just replied 'Here' and nothing else."

"Well at least they answered. Gotta mean they are okay, right?" Sky said helpfully.

"It still doesn't help me find them." John looked out the window. "I suppose I'd better let Dia know. She'll find them in a flash I'm sure." He moved to the door and gave both Alexis and Skylar a pat on the shoulder on the way.

The three of them made their way back down the steps outside and over to Dia and Mr. Horner, John in the lead and tailed by the other two.

"Hey, honey, got a second?" John said as sweetly as he could.

"What's up?" She asked, not turning to him.

"Well, I, um, kinda lost the two little girls."

There was a giggling from the other side of the man in the nice suit. "We're right here daddy!" Ember's voice seemed to come from nowhere.

John looked around the other man and finally saw Ember and Gypsy putting things back into their cloaks. The girls were in the dark corner where the steps to the store on the opposite side of the street came together with the building. Alexis hadn't even noticed them, and from the quick look on Sky's face, he hadn't either.

"You two have been out here while I've turned the store upside down looking for you?" John said with exasperation.

"That's right warden. Auntie Dia has been keeping an eye on us."

He narrowed his eyes and looked significantly at his wife but she didn't turn around.

"Um, _honey_," he said with extra emphasis, "you could have told me they were here. I was worried."

"Oh, I thought we were keeping secrets now, _dearest_." She replied with the same emphasis.

"What are you talking about?"

With a slow turn, she faced John. "Back at the camp, I heard you say to Billy not to tell me that it was really his fault that Jazz had ran into me. So I just naturally assumed we were now keeping secrets from each other. Makes me wonder what else you haven't been telling me…"

"I just didn't want you mad at Billy this morning. That's all. Really honey, I swear I was just trying to-"

"You really don't think I was smart enough to figure out for myself that it was Billy chasing Jazz that got me run over?" Dia had her arms crossed and was glaring at John. Alexis nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"I was trying to keep the peace sweetheart. I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to come off that badly."

Ember and Gypsy came running over and extended their arms to be picked up.

"We're sorry daddy; we didn't mean to worry you so much." Ember said, throwing her arms around his neck and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah, we were just playing." Gypsy also gave him a hug. "Want us to go clean up the rest of the shells?"

He couldn't help but smile at the little girls. "I'd appreciate that," and returned the hugs before putting them down to run off back into the store.

With trepidation John looked back at Dia. "I haven't been keeping secrets from you my love. You didn't sleep well, and then trying to clean up the camp didn't go so well, I just didn't want you to be any more upset than you were. I'm so sorry if you felt that I was not being honest with you because you know that I would never do that." He stepped closer to her and took her arms in his hands, undoing them and sliding them around his waist.

"And I also know you aren't nearly as angry with me as you are trying to be," he said with a smile. He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her and gave her a squeeze. A moment later, she returned the embrace, her features softening with her stance and she rested her head on his chest.

The well dressed man checked his pocket watch, seeming to just notice the time. "Well, once again it has gotten quite late standing here talking to you my dear," he said with a smile.

Dia turned around in John's arms, him still holding onto her as they both bid farewell to the man, shaking his hand.

Before he left, Mr. Horner shook both Alex's and Sky's hands, welcomed them to the family, tipped his hat, and strolled back towards the Leaky Cauldron.

Ember and Gypsy jumped back down the stairs. Ember was holding a large bag of shells and Gypsy a huge container. Ember handed the shells over to Sky. "These are yours. We borrowed them to play the joke on daddy, but you can have them back now, we're done with them."

Gypsy held up the container. "And here are mommy's new containers. They are all nested in this one."

"I hope Bob doesn't find these as tasty as the last ones…" Dia sighed and leaned back into John's arms again.

Alex noticed that she really did look exhausted, but she was better at hiding it.

"Oh, we took care of that." Ember said in an off handed way. "He won't eat any more containers. We are sorry that he did that. But I think they tasted like something tasty after we all used the containers to hold the shells, crabs, seaweed, Horklumps, fish and the other things that got put in them this weekend. But it won't happen again."

"I hope mommy isn't still mad." Gypsy said with a sad look on her face that about broke Alex's heart.

"I'm not mad my little Gypsy," Addy's voice made them all turn to see her walking up to them holding a plant. At the stem was what had once been a book. "Things happen, especially in this household." Addy noticed everyone looking at what she was holding. She held it out. "Billy's new gardening book. He kept forgetting to pick it up."

"I was sidetracked I swear honey." Billy came from another way with Serenity in his arms, followed by Jazz, Harmony and the younger twins, Aria and Jubilee. He walked up to her and gave her a quick kiss. "Thanks for grabbing it for me. Looks like I'll need to prune it before I can read it."

"Ohhhh new containers!" Jazz said as he set down the wheeled trunk he was dragging behind him. "I just bought-"

"Jazz," Addy cut him off, "you are not using my new containers for anything from that joke shop!"

"Don't worry mommy," Gypsy piped up, "these are special containers. They're brand new on the market! Guaranteed not to take on smell or get burned by explosives."

"Oh really?" Addy said, setting down the plant and taking the container from Gypsy.

"Yep, we asked. The store clerk gave us a weird look but agreed that they can take on live creatures, bonfires, floods, teeth, locusts and an iceberg." Ember announced like a salesperson selling insurance. "And they are like Auntie Harm's purse. Each one can hold more that a regular container can."

Ember and Gypsy took the container out of Addy's hands and opened it. Inside there were other containers sitting like pretty nesting dolls. The girls took out one smallish one and opened it and dropped in the sack of shells. The next one they dropped in the plant. Yet another one they started throwing all the clothes they fished out of Harmony's purse. A particularly small one they grabbed things from Jazz's pockets and placed inside another box. As the girls demonstrated the containers the adults continued talking.

"Well, we need to be getting the kids back to school and the rest of the natives into baths."

"But Auntie Addy," Aria whined, "we swam in the ocean this morning. We don't need another bath!"

"Do you have any idea how many germs are in the ocean little one?" Dia asked. "Be lucky I didn't scrub everyone down on the spot. We don't want anyone getting sick from whatever could be in the water."

"And besides," Addy continued, "you also played in the sand and climbed several trees. A good bubble bath will help relax you for bed."

"But we're not tired!" Jubilee moaned.

"I didn't say you had to go right to bed, just saying that after we get you all fed and bathed, THEN you can go to bed." Addy corrected but it still didn't seem to appease the younger twins.

Alex glanced back down at Ember and Gypsy. She had lost track of what went into which container as they were now switching stuff around and putting some containers back into others.

"What are we feeding this troupe anyway?" Harmony asked Addy.

"We already ate." Ember said, switching the plant into a smaller container.

"Yeah, we found daddy's coin purse but it only had a knut in it. So when we got hungry we ate something so's we wouldn't gets sick." Gypsy added, switching the location of three more boxes.

"Yeah, for some reason all my money was missing this morning." Billy said trying to think back.

"You were giving it out to everyone last night." Alex said, digging into her pants pocket. "Here is the galleons you gave me."

Billy just smiled and waved her off. "Keep it. Addy never lets me have too much money or else I'm likely to lose it." He winked at her.

In her mind, she thought about the conversion to muggle currency and how much was really in her hand and it made her worry. She had never before ever held so much money.

"Well, back to the subject of food." Harmony said.

"We really aren't very hungry and besides, we can get more food from the kitchens if need be." Skylar said. "So don't worry about us."

"I suppose then that Jazz and I should get you six back to school." Harmony said, looking around and realizing that several kids were still missing. "Where are the others?"

"Right hear Auntie Harm." Richie said, walking up with two packages in his hand. He stuck out one for his dad. "Your resin. I was told you needed more."

"Thanks son, I did. Get everything you needed?"

"Yep. Good thing we had the money from Uncle Billy still. Callen and I were able to grab a couple of corndogs on the way back. And this didn't have to be put on a tab."

"See, I was thinking ahead, yeah." Billy smiled and looked at Addy who just rolled her eyes.

"I got more strings for all our guitars as well." Richie said. He looked down at the containers. "What's up with those?"

"Ember and Gypsy picked them out." Addy said, and then hesitated. "Hey, where are those two anyway?"

From one of the containers they heard the girls giggle.

"Oh, never mind."

Jackie and the older twins came walking up, busy in discussion.

"I just think maybe Alexis or Skylar would appreciate having an owl, that's all." Jackie was saying.

"But who would they use it to message? We all have the bracelets. Come on Jackie, that is a lame excuse to get an owl." Cadence replied to her.

"You have to admit, that one owl was pretty cool." Melody commented. "And it burrows in the ground so it could live beneath the tree house…"

"Well now that we are all here, it's time to go." Harmony said, cutting Melody off before a discussion of yet another pet could be hashed out. "Get your hugs now while their hot!"

John released Dia and they hugged each of the children, spending extra time on Richie, Alexis and Skylar. As John was trying to convince Dia that she really did have to let go of Richie, to which the boy was smiling a great bit grin, a little man walked over to them.

"Pardon the intrusion," he said in a small, squeaky voice, "but I understand you two are Aurors, are you not?"

Dia gave Richie one last squeeze and another quick kiss and turned to the man, all business like, her exhaustion disappearing. "Yes, we are. How can we help you?"

Alex saw the sour look cross Addison's face, but Billy took her hand and squeezed it briefly.

"I am greatly in need of some assistance." The small man said, his eyes darting around to the others then back to Dia. "I run a small pawn shop over at the end of the alley and someone brought me in a rather nice tea set to buy. I didn't find anything wrong with it at first so I bought it for a very low price." He shook his head. "That should have been my first indication that something was amiss."

"What did the set start doing?" John asked, standing next to his wife.

"As the sun went down, I started to hear a noise. I realized the set was singing. But it won't stop. And now my assistant and two customers are asleep next to it and won't wake up. I have terrible hearing so I was spared. When I left my shop I overheard someone talking about you two being in the alley… and, well… I was hoping…"

"We understand and will be right with you." Dia said with authority. She turned to the rest of the group. "Can you take it from here?"

Addy nodded, her face still showing her unhappiness at the interruption.

The red headed woman's eyes fell on each of the kids, finally resting on Alexis. "Stay safe and have a good trip back. Send us a message if you need anything."

"We will mom. Love you." Richie said in a soft voice.

"Love you too sweetheart." She replied to him, and then turned back to the small man. "Well, let's be about it." Both she and John walked back down the street with the small man. Alexis could tell John and Dia both had their hands lightly on the wands stuck in their belts.

Addy sighed. "Why isn't it that not even one complete weekend can go by without someone making those two work. It just isn't right."

"But that is the job they chose, and even you wouldn't tell them to stop." Billy put his arms around his wife, hugging her close.

"You heard the woman." Addy finally said, looking at the others. "Time to get everyone to where they are supposed to be."

He had never had to unpack so many clothes before. Sky stood at his bed going through all the new outfits he had been bought while in Diagon Alley and also the ones that had been gotten for him before the trip. He wasn't sure how he was going to fit all the items into his footlocker.

"Don't worry Sky," Richie said from the bed next to him. "The footlockers are spelled to be sorta like the new containers. They will expand internally as you put more stuff into it. Just don't go crazy or you'll never be able to find anything."

Richie was relaxing, stretched out with a new book. Sky knew it was Hamlet since John had ended up nicknaming him that. Suddenly Sky's bracelet buzzed.

It was from Alexis_. Ember and Gypsy are here. They snuck into the container that came here and have already run out of the room and out the portrait hole._

Sky saw that Richie was looking at his bracelet too.

Addy's scroll came as a quick reply. _Well that explains why we couldn't find them in the containers just now. Billy is on his way to reclaim them since Dia and John are still otherwise occupied. Harmony and Jazz are engaged with baths. He's on his way now, please find them and keep an eye on those two._

_Will do_ came Jackie's reply. Richie was off the bed and already at the door before Skylar reacted and followed him quickly.

They ran down the stairs and were out the portrait hole in no time. In the hallway they met up with the older twins who, from the looks on their faces, had also gotten the message.

"Jackie said she saw them heading down the same way to Filch's office. We think they want to try some of the locks in his room." Melody said as they rushed down the stairs and into another hallway.

The bracelet buzzed again. It was Alex. _The girls are in Filch's office and he is in there too. And I think I hear a cat meowing!_

"A cat?" Cadence said out loud.

They found Jackie and Alex outside of the caretaker's office, listening intently to the voices inside.

Alex turned to the others and whispered. "They brought Filch a cat. Gypsy just told him the cat is special."

"Anybody see what it looks like?" Richie asked crouching behind Jackie.

"I thought they had Bob with them but it was a mangy dirty brown small cat instead. I have no idea where Bob is at all." She added.

From inside Sky could hear Filch's harsh voice. "What have you two little brats done? Why would you bring me a gift? I don't have nothin' for the two a you."

Ember's giggly voice reverberated from the room. "It's a gift silly. You don't have to do anything in return. That's what gifts are. Don't you know that?"

"I suppose," Gypsy's voice chimed in, "that you could pour us tea. You weren't too happy with our tea, so that would be a good trade."

"Where did you two little heathens get the money for this cat? You been stealing?"

"Of course not. That would be bad and daddy wouldn't be happy." Ember said a little defensively.

"We found her but only had a knut on us, but Bob was still unhappy with getting yelled at over the whole storage container thing and when we took the cat out of her cage he climbed in and refused to get out. So we traded Bob for the cat." Gypsy explained.

"We thought you'd like her and maybe not be so lonely. I don't think Mrs. Norris would have minded. Anyone who really cares for another person wouldn't want them alone."

Alexis was stunned to hear Filch get all choked up over the gift. She matched eyes with the others who were equally surprised.

"Well, I didn't ask for it, but I do thank you brats for bringing me the cat. The least I can do is make you tea. But I don't want to hear any belly aching if you don't like the flavor." He tried to sound gruff but the girls just giggled at him.

They heard Filch moving around ostensibly to get tea. Suddenly he appeared at the door, glaring down at the six kids. "Well, don't just lurk outside the door, it isn't polite. Come in here and sit down like civilized children," he snarled and shuffled back into the room.

Slowly the other six came into the room and looked around, afraid of doing anything that would get them into trouble. They found chairs in the corner and sat down quietly, afraid to speak. Filch grumbled to himself as he got water into the self heating tea pot he had, and put in the tea. Jackie jumped up and helped him get down six more tea cups and dusted them off before handing them to the others.

"So what are you going to name her Mr. Filch?" Ember asked as she fiddled with her tea cup.

"I don't know. I guess I need to think up a good name, now don't I?" he muttered. "I suppose you and your little friend here have a list of names already thought out, don'tcha."

"No, not yet, but we can if that would help." Gypsy said, pulling out a small clown hat that was in her pocket. She looked over to Ember. "I didn't get a chance to see if Bob would like this."

"I wonder why Bob didn't want to come home with us. I told him mommy wouldn't be mad anymore. You think he got bored with us?" Ember asked Gypsy who just shrugged with her hands and put the tiny hat back in her pocket.

"I can't imagine anyone being bored around you two. Terrified out of their wits maybe…" Filch groused. This of course made the two little girls giggle more.

Filch poured everyone tea and sat down, staring at the cat who was sniffing around his desk. It seemed to Alexis that it was a fairly young cat, no more than six to eight months old. Not a little kitten anymore, but not a grown, set in their ways feline like most.

She took a sip of the tea which was pleasant, not great but far better than she thought she would get in his office.

"So have you thought up a name yet Mr. Filch?" Ember asked again.

The shriveled old man eyed her menacingly. "You just asked that not a minute ago. Why would you think I'd have a different answer? Are you thick or something?"

Ember giggled. "We thought up Bob's name on the spot. And daddy named Colonel within a few minutes. Mow and Cow already had Bella named before she got home too."

"Well I'm not that fast." He spit back and sat back in his chair, sipping his tea.

"I think you already have a name in mind but just don't want to say it yet." Gypsy said as she dropped a sugar cube from a pocket into the tea and stirred it around with her finger.

"Stop that you savage of a little girl." Filch bit as he found a spoon and gave it to her.

"Thanks Mr. Filch. I didn't have a spoon, but we keep sugar cubes for Bob on us." She looked sadly into her tea. "I suppose now that Bob's gone it is still useful to have sugar cubes around, right Em?"

"Right Gyp."

"Why isn't Bob around anymore?" All the kids turned around when they heard Billy's voice in the doorway.

"We traded him for this cat for Mr. Filch so he won't be so lonely. Bob wouldn't get back out of the cage so we figured he didn't want to be with us anymore since mommy was so mad at him. He hated being on the leash." Gypsy explained to her dad.

"Oh, so that is why you snuck into the luggage again? To bring Filch a cat?" Billy said with a touch of exasperation in his voice.

"Yep." Ember said and gulped down her tea.

He sighed a long sigh. Alex could tell it had been a long day for all the adults.

"Okay, fine, sure, I'm sure it makes sense. In some alternate reality maybe… hang on a sec while I let John know. I'm sure he'll straighten it out."

"Straighten what out dad?" Gypsy asked.

"Bob. I don't think the caretaker of the Magical Menagerie will be too thrilled to find one of his cats has turned into a gnome with a bad attitude."

"And a sick stomach." Ember added. "But he wouldn't let anyone help him because he was upset and Auntie Addy said she didn't want to hear anything from him about his tummy."

"Um, okaaayyyy…" Billy shook his head and touched his bracelet. It buzzed back a few seconds later. "All good. John said that they are almost done at the pawn shop and that Dia can finish. He's heading over to pay for the cat and talk to Bob about coming home. Is that okay for you sweetie?"

"But what if Bob doesn't love us anymore? He didn't want to come home with us. Maybe he wants someone else. And besides, you don't really like him." Gypsy said with a small quiver to her lip. It made Billy's face fall and he walked over and took her in his arms.

He touched his bracelet and sent a message. When it buzzed again, he showed it to Gypsy. "See? John will talk to Bob and straighten it all out. I think his feeling were just hurt, that's all. And I don't mind him so much. So Mr. Filch get a wonderful new gift from you two and Bob should be at home when we get there. Okay?"

Gypsy thought about it for a second and looked over to Ember who nodded firmly. Gypsy looked back and nodded to Billy too. "Okay daddy."

He smiled and hugged her close.

"I suppose this means it's time to go, right Uncle Billy?" Ember said, kicking her legs in the chair.

"Yep, time to go." He looked around at the others. "But you all can stay and continue having tea if you like."

Everyone practically leapt from their chairs, downed the rest of their tea and thanked Mr. Filch profusely for the hospitality and shot out of the room like they were on fire. Alex was one of the last to leave.

Ember stopped and stared at Mr. Filch for a second then asked, "Mr. Filch, you never said what you were going to name your new cat. What was the name you were thinking about?"

Alexis could see him glaring at the little girl, but finally he stated, "Mrs. Pince."

It has seemed like a lifetime ago that Alex had last slept in her bed at Hogwarts. She pulled back the covers and sheets and slipped in, aware of how tired she was from such an eventful weekend. One she longed to never forget. It had been nothing less that wonderful.

Her bracelet buzzed. She had sent a goodnight wish to both Ember and Gypsy and it was Ember who was responding.

_Daddy brought Bob home again. Had to bribe him with a new purple and red belly dancing outfit. Auntie Addy thinks his bad behavior was due to all the excitement and new experiences, and a hangover. She told him she forgave him but not to be bad again. No more leash which is good as I hated having to hold a stupid leash._

The message made her smile. She wished she could see the belly dancing outfit for herself.

She touched her own bracelet. _Glad to hear things are improved with Bob. I'm sure he'll behave better after this._

Gypsy was next to respond. _Warden told mommy that maybe it was time to get Bob a girlfriend but mommy just groaned and left the room._

Alexis could imagine two of them running around the house causing trouble. She was sure that wouldn't be Addison's first choice. Of course it would stop Bob from bothering Billy so bad…

Gypsy continued. _I gave Bob the clown costume but mommy wasn't happy, so I don't think he'll be allowed to wear it. Maybe for Halloween?_

_Daddy says we need to get some sleep_, Ember wrote, _but I'm not tired._

_Well I sure am. I'm in bed now. I think Jackie and Melody are already asleep. It's been a long day_ Alexis replied. _You two have sweet dreams._

_You have sweet dreams as well Alex. We are glad you are a part of our family now. Goodnight._

Alex responded one last time to Ember. _I'm glad too. Goodnight._

As she lay her head down, she could feel her tired body try to drop quickly to sleep. Her lingering thoughts as she drifted off were about camping and laughing and song. And how great it felt to be in a real family who cared again.

Chapter 11

It's the Great Invasion Ricky Ricardo

"I think it was those nasty Stanton's again." Richard said, holding the small cat protectively. "Good thing Sky wanted a snack or else something may have happened to Mrs. Pince." He petted the brown fir and for a moment heard a small purr.

Ever since his sister and Gypsy had given the cat to Mr. Filch, it had stopped being friendly to most other students, often giving them owl eyed looks and the hint that they would be tattled on to Filch if they did anything wrong. But tonight, being rescued from the trash seemed to have made the young feline more grateful.

Jackie looked the cat over for injury, and then settled the heavy lid back on the trash. "Agreed. I know lots of students aren't too happy about Filch having a cat again, especially since she seems to be channeling the old cat, Mrs. Norris, but I doubt anyone else would be brazen enough to actually try to get rid of her."

The young cat trembled in Richie's arms. "I think she's been in there a while. The stress probably took a lot out of her. We'd better take her to Mr. Filch. I hope he doesn't blame us…"

"I would think not." Jackie snorted, but looked up at Richie. "Of course it is Mr. Filch we are talking about. He'll probably want to know why we were down in the kitchens nicking food with the Halloween Ball so close at hand."

Richie sighed. "This is one time I wish Em and Gyp were here. They'd have no problem with waltzing right into his office."

"I know." Jackie looked up and down the hallway, not seeing anyone. "Well there's no time like the present. Let's return the cat and make a run for it. We've got plans."

They turned together and walked down the hallway and up the steps, on their way to Mr. Filch's office. Richie looked sideways at Jackie. "I suppose we couldn't possibly get lucky enough to have him not there and we just slip the little cat into his office."

"That would be a great stroke of fortune." Jackie said as she looked down the hallway to the left towards his office. She squinted her eyes. "But alas, that luck isn't ours. The light is on in his room."

With an absent minded hand, Richie stroked the cat. "We could put her down here and let her walk the rest of the way," he suggested.

"Or," a gnarled old voice said from their right, "you could tell me what you are doing with my cat. And why you are lurking around when you should be getting ready for the Halloween party, eh?"

The two kids spun around on the spot to face the ancient old man. Richie had no idea how someone as old as dirt could have snuck up on them so easily.

"We found Mrs. Pince." Jackie tried to say with as much confidence as she could muster. "Someone threw her into the garbage and we heard her cries and got her out."

"Which garbage?" The old man drew a wizened breath.

"The one by the kitchen's. We were down there because our friend was really hungry because he had to finish up in Herbology and missed lunch. The Halloween party is still an hour away and he was starved, so we came down to grab something for him… and we heard her yowling. The lid was spelled to be extra heavy and there was no way she could have gotten out on her own. She's shaking and weak so we were bringing her back to you."

The aged man eyed both of them suspiciously for a minute. Richie was glad Jackie had told the truth but left out the fact that they had no intention of staying long at the Halloween party. Richie knew that both him and Jackie were terrible liars. Lying was one of those things you just didn't do. Joking around was another matter…

"Fine. You two follow me." Mr. Filch said and started shuffling off in the direction of his office. Jackie and Richie traded looks and trailed behind him by a step or two.

They were still quiet as they entered his office. Richie was holding the cat that seemed to have perked up when they got there. The fuzzy brown furred feline bobbed her head at the desk so that is where Richie put her down. Filch walked around the desk and set the self steaming tea kettle down for a moment, petted his cat, then brought out three tea cups and filled them with steaming brown liquid.

"I hope you kids like mint tea. Your sisters seemed to think it was the best and sent me a huge package of it. I don't think I'll ever be able to drink it all…" the man grumbled as he finished pouring the tea.

Both of them sat down and nervously took their cups of tea, having no real clue to what was going on. Jackie tried not to stutter, "Mint is fine Mr. Filch." She tentatively took a sip of the tea. "It's really good."

Mr. Filch just eyed her and gave her a harrumph. Richie took a sip of his own cup. It was surprisingly good. "Wow, Ember and Gypsy seem to have good taste in tea."

"Oh, my…" Jackie said, staring at her cup, "I just remembered something Callen said the other day." She looked at Richie. "He said dad thought he had messed up the grocery order and ended up with a crate of tea, but when it arrived late it was the sampler he had intended to order for mom. I think I understand where the crate went now…"

"Are you saying that your sisters stole the tea?" Filch said with a hint of threat on his voice's edge.

"No, more like Ember and Gypsy fixed the problem so that dad's present to mom went off nicely. The sampler of fine teas went over great. But a crate of only mint would have been less… understood." Jackie said carefully. "Something about propping up third world countries or some such."

"And mint is Ember's and Gypsy's favorite tea. So my guess is that they intend to come visit you more often." Richie added, not sure if it was helping or not.

"Hmmm," was Filch's only response. They all sipped the tea in an awkward silence. Mrs. Pince the cat jumped down into his lap and curled up, purring. With a wrinkled, bony hand Mr. Filch petted the cat.

Finally Filch glared menacingly at both of them, making them feel uncomfortable again. "I have something to say to the two of you. But I won't repeat it again, understood?"

Both Jackie and Richie nodded, trying not to gulp in air in anxiety.

Filch hesitated for a moment, and then went on. "I overheard some talk earlier today. Seems that the charms professor has put a charm on a particularly large spider and then dressed it like a clown. You might want to warn both of your mothers."

Jackie choked on her tea. Richie leaned over and patted her back as Filch spoke again mostly to himself in a far away voice. "I never saw a girl more frightened by clowns in my life. And her friend who hates spiders… that can't be a good thing."

"Thanks for letting us know," Jackie said as she pressed her finger onto her bracelet, sending the message.

The elderly man mumbled on, obviously lost in memories. "Should have put that group into detention. Troublemakers all the like. That boy smiled too much, that's how I knew he was often up to no good. No one should smile that much. Of course she never smiled for years. War takes it away from you, your smile. So much death. So many gone. War and time steals your smile away. Leaves you nothing but your bare bones. Bones turn to dust and get swept away. Turn it all back and what do you have? Make things different? The clock marches on and everything fades. No turning back."

Having no clue what to say, Richie glanced at Jackie who was apparently equally bewildered. Richie turned back to Filch as he heard the cat softly mew from the man's lap. The old man's eyes refocused on the cat, and with a shaky hand, started petting it again, receiving a loud purr from her.

Jackie bracelet buzzed and Richie leaned over to read the message from Addy.

I was wondering why Jazz was looking rather amused with himself lately. Thanks for the info. I'll let John and Billy know so they can thwart the threat before Dia and I have to kill him. Honestly, what goes through that man's head some days I wonder…

Jackie couldn't help but smile a little. The bracelet buzzed again.

Tell Filch thank you for me. And I hope he likes the tea. And yes, I know about the case of mint tea going to him instead of here. Gypsy really can't keep a secret. I think it was nice of the two girls to try to fix the mess up and help Billy out. Tell Filch the tea was from India and non-refundable. I hope he enjoys mint as much as I enjoyed the sampler that was Billy's original thoughtful intent.

Jackie relayed the message to Filch. The man seemed to relax a little, or at the very least, didn't glare at them as much.

"Your parents are good people." Filch finally said in a low voice, "but if you tell them that, I'll deny it. And you'll spend the day locked in my chains I have on the wall." He added with a snarl.

"No, sir. We won't tell anyone. They would never believe us anyway." Richie blurted out. Jackie tried to hide a smile.

From behind they heard soft shuffling footsteps out in the hallway. Richie's bracelet buzzed. You in there with Filch? It was from Melody.

"Tell your skulking friends to stop loitering outside my door and get in here." Filch growled.

Fearfully Melody, Cadence, Sky and Alex entered the room.

"Well sit down while I get you little ingrates some tea." Filch made to stand up but Alexis quickly stepped forward. "We'd love some tea Mr. Filch. But let us get it for you. I don't want to disturb Mrs. Pince on your lap. Richie sent us a message on what happened."

Filch glared at the dark skinned girl but nodded his head, letting go of the arms of the chair. He went back to petting the cat as Alex got more water and cups, then when the tea was done, poured it for the others and refreshed his cup as well. Filch sat there and glared at Melody and Cadence for quite some time till Richard cleared his throat and started talking about the first thing he could think of.

"So, we have no proof, but I think the Stanton boys, Devon and Damien, are behind the trashing of Mrs. Pince."

The face of the ancient man turned even sourer. "I wouldn't go throwing around accusations without evidence, boy."

"Um, no sir, I was just thinking out loud." Richie shifted in his seat, looking to Jackie to save him.

"We only speculated because everyone here at Hogwarts usually likes cats, but Damien was scratched by one this summer and had threatened to get rid of any cat that came his way here at the school. We don't know anyone else with a motive. But you are right, it could be anyone. We will be more careful when thinking out loud." She said glancing back at Richie who got the hint.

"This is excellent tea, Mr. Filch," Melody said looking around, but we really must get going. We have to still put our costumes on for the party." She had drank her cup of tea quickly and was already edging out of her seat.

"And eat the ill gotten goodies from the kitchens as well I suppose…" Filch's eye landed on Sky who became even more pale than Richard thought was possible.

"Yes, before the sandwiches go bad." Jackie said with more self assurance than she had so far. "So we really should be going and leave you to tend to Mrs. Pince."

Everyone nodded and gulped the last of their tea. They got up and put the extra chairs away again and Sky quickly washed the tea cups and put them on their shelf. As they left the room they all thanked him profusely and then practically ran down the hallway to escape. Richie and Jackie were the last ones out. As they left the room Jackie turned and said a sincere good bye to the man. Richie and Jackie then left, but they both walked at a normal pace.

When they reached the stairs they could see the others waiting for them up on the landing. They had started up the stairs when Jackie mumbled, "I'm starting to see what Ember and Gypsy see in Mr. Filch. We should visit him more often."

"You need your head checked…" was all that Richie could think of as a reply.

"Get thee to a nunnery!" Richie exclaimed to Jackie.

She rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath and reminding herself it wouldn't do any good to punch him in the arm. Ever since Uncle John had started calling Richie Hamlet, he had taken to annoying them all with quotes from that book. Richie stood before her in the Gryffindor common room dressed like Hamlet for Halloween.

"Keep that up Richie and you really will meet a tragic end." She sneered back, checking her own Alice in Wonderland costume for wrinkles or flaws.

Cadence and Sky came walking down behind Richie from the boy's dormitory. Sky was dressed as Luke Skywalker and Cadence as the old Rock Star Ringo Starr from the Beetles. Alexis stood behind her wearing a Xena costume and Melody was dressed up as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Only Jackie refused to dress up as the nickname Uncle John had given her. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out how they expected her to look like Claude Monet.

While she tried to ignore Cadence drumming on everything he got near, Jackie turned to Melody. "Callen messaged me earlier. The hawk returned the message from your dad's group of friends. They loved our idea the best and is a go."

"I don't get it," Sky said with a look of confusion, "who are these people again?"

Jackie smiled. "They are friends of Uncle Jazz's. Well of all our parents but mostly his. They are a group of wizarding clowns that they met at Vegas. Uncle Jazz found out they are all having a get together this weekend in London and asked if they wanted to come over for Halloween tonight, and then go to their convention on Saturday. Callen overheard this and told Uncle John and dad because having 30 clowns show up on mom's door might cause her a heart attack. That or she'll finally off Uncle Jazz. Anyway, John and Billy sent them a message to dress up as cows to tease Uncle Jazz. That's another story. Anyway, we got Callen to send the hawk again and ask them to dress up as strippers instead. Men and women alike. They loved it. That should make for an interesting evening."

"Define interesting." Melody replied warily.

"We're sorry officer," Richie sniggered, "no, this isn't a brothel…"

"This family has a weird sense of humor." Alex said quietly.

"Yeah," Sky laughed, "that's the best part."

"Okay," Jackie said in her best authority tone of voice, "we all know the plan. Let's go be seen. I'm going to make sure the Head Mistress sees me. Richie will set the dancing crickets out that he found in Uncle Jazz's office last week. Don't forget we will only have a short amount of time to get into Auntie Harmony's purse before she returns to it. She always stashes it under her table when she has to jump down to help Jazz with whatever he's done. Don't let the Stanton's see you. In fact, if you see them, warn the others where they are. Uncle Jazz and Aunty Harm will most likely leave right afterwards, so we have to be quick.

"You sure we won't get into trouble?" Alexis asked nervously.

"Naw," Richie answered, "I doubt anyone would realize we were gone. And it would just be put down as one of our 'field trips' that Uncle Jazz and Aunty Harm take us on."

Jackie could tell from the expression on Alexis' face that she wasn't convinced. "I thought you two were the bad kids on the block anyway. Why are you so worried suddenly about getting into trouble?"

"Because for the first time in our lives there is something we have that we don't want taken away from us. Our new family and being wizards. We get expelled and we could lose both."

"Most we would get is a lecture and possibly detention." Jackie said reassuringly. "Well everyone, let's be about it."

As they all exited the portrait hole, Jackie heard Richie ask Cadence, "So, clown spiders and a horde of clowns. Is your dad becoming suicidal?"

The main hall was decked out from top to bottom with the most amazing decorations Sky could ever remember seeing. Pumpkins, some as large as garden sheds, floated above their heads and skeletons had been enchanted to sing and dance. The Halloween Feast was everything he had heard it would be. Food almost spilled off the tables where the golden platters held the most scrumptious of treats and delights. Sky had wolfed down the sandwich that Richie had brought him but suddenly he was hungry once again.

Alexis stood beside him and also marveled at the wonders that the Great Hall held. "You think the plan includes eating something first?" She asked in awe of the smorgasbord of fare.

"We are supposed to be acting normally, so I would assume so. Besides," Sky added with a smiling glance sideways, "the night sounds like it will get much more interesting, so eat now. You never know what will happen when we get to the Legion of Dynamic Discord. Bob may have helped Colonel eat all the food already."

"Addison would have more, but I get the point." Alex smiled back. "No time like the present. I swear I still feel like I can't get enough to eat. I don't want to seem like a pig at the house. Assuming we all make it there…"

"I know what you mean. They all say not to worry about it, but… well…"

Alexis just nodded in silent agreement as they made their way over to one of the tables and dished a plate. The other kids wandered about a little, chatting with other students and admiring each other's costumes. Alex kept looking up at the thousand live bats that were about.

It didn't take long for his bracelet to buzz. The writing was Jackie's. _The Stanton boys are wandering through the crowd towards Alex and Sky. I suggest you grab your plates and move closer to Uncle Jazz. He's in the largest pumpkin up on the teacher's platform. He's the one dressed as the Cat in the Hat._

Richie's scroll came close after hers. _Aunt Harm is at the teacher's table, and the purse is under it. She is dressed as Sally from the Cat in the Hat._

_We are on our way over to it right now._ Melody's scroll appeared. _Watch out, I think dad may have an old fashioned joy buzzer in his hand._

_What's a joy buzzer?_ Richie responded.

_It is a muggle device that he has so when you shake his hand it zaps you with a low energy bolt_ Cadence replied. _I'm guessing dad charmed it a little because you can actually see small lightning bolts appear over the victim's head._

_Good to know_ Richie wrote.

_I just smiled at the Headmistress. She smiled and raised an eyebrow_ Jackie scrolled. _I hope she doesn't suspect anything. Sky, Alex. Devon and Damien are getting awfully close to you. Better move closer a little faster._

With a quick nod to Alex, Sky pushed a little harder through the crowd of students towards the front table, leaving their plates behind. He tried to look through the crowd to see where their two pursuers were but couldn't see them. He pressed his finger to his bracelet but didn't have time to send anything. Before them stood both Stanton boys wearing their usual sneers. Devon, the slightly more aggressive of the two boys was dressed up as a werewolf, and his half brother was wearing vampire fangs.

"Well well well," Devon sneered, his dark brown eyes glaring down at Sky, "I see no one has taken the trash out lately."

His brother Damien snickered at the joke.

"I wouldn't throw around the word 'trash' if I were you," Alex sneered back, crossing her arms in front of her. "I don't think your uncle dad would appreciate it much. Inbred garbage like you should be sitting on a porch somewhere picking a banjo."

The shorter brown haired boy leaned in farther towards Alex in response. "And you shouldn't be talking about porches you monkey."

Having grown up as muggles, Sky knew exactly what the insult meant even if none of the kids near them that overheard the comment understood. Alexis narrowed her eyes. "Well at least my mother didn't get knocked up by her sister's husband. Was his eyesight that bad or did she just like hand-me-downs?"

It was all too well known that their father, Bobby Stanton, had managed to get two sisters pregnant within months of each other. The man had divorced the first sister and immediately married the second one within days of the discovery. Damien had barely made the age cut off to enter Hogwarts at the same time as his half brother. Both boys carried the last name of Stanton and had grown up together, raised as brothers. They both had their father's mean temperament.

"Don't talk about my momma that way-" Damien snarled, his muscular body puffing up with increasing rage.

"Oh, did you hear that Sky?" Alexis said giving him a fake wide eyed look. "His momma. Poor little thing needs his momma. I'm sure his uncle pa might get mad-"

"At least I still have one," Damien cut her off; "I hear tell yours abandon the both of ya. Not worthwhile enough to keep."

"And that crazy family of weirdo's took you in out of pity. Now that's a hand me down mom if I ever heard a one." Devon snorted in derision.

"We may be half brothers," Damien added, "but at least we still have parents that love and want us. We aren't someone else's pathetic castoffs."

"No, they are better." Sky looked around to his right and saw Richard standing there, his face red with anger. "They were chosen to be loved. Your 'momma' has to love you, no one else could. Alex and Sky are our family not because of some messed up family inbreeding, but because we wanted them to be."

The sneer on Devon's face grew as his eyes slid over to Richard. "Oh, and this from the boy who is afraid of men in paintings. Go away before I sick a drawing on you."

"And I'm sure one look at your ugly mother's mug would make me lose my lunch and dinner. At least that's what your dad said about your mother when he dropped her like a bad apple in his rush to jump into her sister's diseased bed." Richie mocked. "So is it true? Does your dad really have to scrub his entire body after touching her so that his skin doesn't rot and fall off?"

The shorter and slightly older Stanton boy rushed at Richard so fast that at first Sky didn't realize it was happening. Devon's face was twisted in rage underneath all the fake werewolf hair he was sporting. In a swift move Richard stepped out of the way and let the boy fall past him. It struck Sky that all the children had probably learned basic self defense with some of their parents being Aurors.

Damien had stepped forward to join the attack and Sky swiftly stepped into the way, surprising not only the shaggy boy, but himself as well.

"Get out of my way child of a whore." Damien snarled. Sky could see the boy's fists flex. Alex had stepped closer to Sky, the look on her face showed she was unsure what to do but she clearly felt the need to do something.

A higher pitched voice snapped the air. "Mr. Stanton!" Professor Harmony Whitehorse's chilly voice pierced the air. "And I do mean both of you boys! Follow me. The headmistress will want a word with you once I tell them what I just saw and overheard."

Both brown haired boys straightened and looked around to her and paled a bit, their freckles on their pudgy noses standing out more.

"I said MOVE!" The tall woman snapped. Sky couldn't ever remember Harmony ever sounding so harsh. He wondered if she had overheard what they and Richie had said.

Slowly the boys moved to trail behind her, but not before Sky heard Devon's low words as he moved back past him say, "we'll settle this later when your wet-nurse isn't around you filthy mudblood."

With all his nerves endings hurting from the rush of adrenaline, Sky stood there and watched the boys be walked out to the Great Hall's giant double doors behind Harmony and the headmistress who had joined them there. Suddenly his bracelet buzzed.

_You alright?_ Jackie's words even sounded rushed in the writing. _That was a close one! But it did help. Melody and Cadence are in the bag._

With a shaky hand Sky reached to touch his finger to his bracelet as Richie clapped him softly on the back and said a quick "Thanks for watching my back" to him and a nod to Alex.

_We're fine, just a bit shaken. Sorry we didn't get away from them faster._

_Are you kidding?_ Jackie replied hastily_, that was brilliant! We couldn't have planned for a better outcome! She's away from our getaway AND the Stanton's are in trouble and out of the room! After Richie lets out the dancing crickets then that will be your queue to slip in. Better get into position._

_Okay_ was all Sky could think of to answer back. Richie winked at them and moved off to get closer to Professor Jazz. Before he knew it Richie had run into the large Native American dressed as the Cat in the Hat and was laughing as Jazz held him under an arm trying to get him to shake the big man's hand.

Suddenly crickets were everywhere doing the Cancan on what seemed like every surface nearby Richie. The crowd started to giggle then roar in laughter as some of the spelled pumpkins and suits of armor joined in the dance, the music coming from everywhere. Sky saw Jackie quickly set down another small shell and back away from the loud music coming from it and then slowly making her way to the head table as well.

The remaining professors seemed to divide into two camps, those who liked the music and smiled, and those who frowned and stood up from the table glaring at Jazz. Either way, all the eyes from the table were set squarely on Jazz who had immediately taken to grabbing random students and dancing with them.

With a quick nod to Alex, Sky moved to block anyone seeing the dark girl slide up under the table and disappear. Jackie made her way over and nodded to him. It was his turn.

With his blood pumping with excitement again, Sky carefully squatted down out of sight and went the same way as Alex. When he got to the purse he had no idea how he was going to fit. Taking a steadying breath he put an arm tentatively in. Other hands grabbed it and pulled him quickly into the darkness beyond.

Using a purse as a mode of transportation still made Alexis smile. She sat in the dark with the other kids her age trying not to give herself away. Just the thought of sneaking back into the house made her face break into a grin. It was the first time she could remember ever wanting to sneak into home and not away from it. And deep in her heart she knew that the adults of her new family wouldn't be angry at their sudden arrival. Getting back to Hogwarts without trouble was a bridge they would have to cross. She hoped desperately that Jackie was correct and that the worst that could happen was detention. For another fun weekend at the house, detention for the rest of the year was well worth it.

Her left shoulder rubbed up against Sky's again as the purse bounced slightly. Sky had been worried that some of the objects in the purse would smash them into pulp but apparently Harmony had done a purse cleaning lately as the stage was missing. No one wanted to risk illuminating the dark with their wands and getting caught so they sat in silence and waited.

After she had gone into the purse, Sky had followed. They practically had to drag him in there, but soon enough Jackie joined them giggling to herself. They had started to get worried as it seemed to be taking Richie an awfully long time to arrive. They feared he was going to miss out but abruptly he fell through the opening in a swan dive, landing on the twins. Richie was breathing a little hard and was excited.

"I hinted to Jazz we were leaving early and heading back to the tower because the Stanton boys had threatened us and we wanted to be scarce when they came back to the party. I hope that made him not wonder where the lot of you all went." Richie said in an excited but hushed whisper. The others hadn't had time to question him because they heard Harmony approaching and saying goodnight to the other professors.

Several of them had to clap their hands across their mouths to keep from laughing as they overheard part of the conversation. Apparently the consensus was that the other teachers were glad she was taking Jazz home shortly as they didn't think the students would ever settle down with him around. Finally she had picked up her purse and they were off.

Alexis could tell they were making their way down the lawns and out of the main gates to Hogwarts.

"All I'm saying dear is that you really need to tone it down." They could hear Harmony talking to her husband. "Did you really need to lead everyone into a round of the Lindy?"

"It was a party! What was I supposed to do, sit and be boring?" Jazz countered with a laugh in his voice.

"I don't think you could do that even if you were unconscious." Harmony replied with a smile in her's. "But honestly honey, some of the other teachers are still questioning your sanity. After the Lindy you should have stopped instead of launching into Sir Mix A Lot's I Like Big Butts. Don't you think that was a tad inappropriate?"

"The song is called Baby Got Back. And you saw the smiles on their faces. Everyone was having a great time."

"Apparently you didn't look at Headmistress McGonagall then. That frown could have stopped World War Three." Harmony sighed. "And the look on your silly mug tells me the night has just started."

"Well, I do have a little surprise…" Jazz's deep voice practically giggled.

"Oh honey. Tell me it has nothing to do with clowns. If it does, I swear I can get Dr. Brown to declare you legally insane before Addy guts you."

"She wouldn't gut me… she'd rip off my tentacles first."

"And I'm sure that would be an improvement by far…"

"Well I… wait! What do you mean by that?" The only response Jazz received was a giggle from his wife.

From Alex's right, she could feel Richie trying to stifle a giggle of his own.

They heard the huge gates of Hogwarts open and then close behind them as they left the grounds. Finally the purse stopped its undulating motion.

"This is going to be fun!" Jazz said excitedly.

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of…" Harmony sighed and Alex felt the purse swerve to the side and felt the funny feeling of being dissaperated. When the world stopped trying to suck her through a straw Alex strained her ears to hear the sounds of the house. She could tell by the sound of Harmony's heels on the wood that they were on the front porch.

"Seems awfully quiet in there…" Harmony said slowly.

"Yeah but it won't stay that way for long!" Jazz roared as he threw open the front door and bellowed "Why do you sit there like that? I know it is wet And the sun is not sunny. But we can have lots of good fun that is funny!"

From inside the house he heard the two twins respond to him. "We looked! Then we saw him. Step in on the mat! We looked! And we saw him! The Cat in the Hat!"

With a bellowing laugh they heard Jazz run into the house and pick up his children.

"You two look wonderful!" Harmony laughed. "You both make excellent Thing One and Thing Twos!"

"Thanks mom!" The younger twins said in unison.

Alexis heard another voice. "About time you two got home." It was Addison. "I thought those two were going to burst if the door didn't open soon. They've been very useful at handing out candy though… But honestly, most of the regular neighbor kids have just been knocking and asking when Jazz will be home to hand out candy."

"I think they liked it last year when you kept answering the door as if you were sick and blowing candy snot into their bags." Billy's voice said.

"Well I'm home and it is time to get this party started!" Jazz bellowed. "Hey, were is everyone else?"

"John had to run to the store really quick as the fire on Ember's costume really did catch it on fire. Dia is in her room with Gypsy helping her. Callen and Serenity are in the back room playing quietly." Addy said, her voice getting louder as her footsteps got closer to them. "And I'm going to guess the rest of them…" suddenly light shown down from above and Alex threw up her arm to ward off the brightness in her eyes. "…are still in your purse." Alex saw a shadow lean over the bag and Addison's eyes peer down in.

"My… what?" They could hear Harmony stammer. Her head hovered over the opening as well.

"Come on out everyone." Addy said as she put the purse down on some soft surface that Alex guessed was the couch. "You're here; you might as well get out here and have some fun."

Alex felt Jackie, who was on the other side of Richie, stand up first. She reached her hand up and her mother grasped it and pulled her out. "Mom, how'd you know we were in there?"

"Yeah Addy, how'd you know and I didn't?" Harmony's voice was aghast, but still bemused.

"I figured as much. How can we have Halloween without everyone here? Besides, if Ember and Gypsy can sneak in this way, it only goes to prove a viable way of sneaking out as well." Addy said as she extended her hand down for Melody to grab. "And when you told me about the confrontation with the Stanton boys and Jazz saying that they were all going back to the tower to keep away from them, I knew that was too good to be true."

Once more Addy extended a hand down and this time Alexis herself took the hand and was lifted out. "I just can't see Richie ever running away to the tower to keep away from those boys. Some day's he is just too much like his father, and his namesake. And Jackie, taking after her namesake, would never allow anyone to chase her away from an evening's entertainment." Addy gave Alex a hug. "Welcome home again Alex. Wonderful costume. John will so glad it fit and you liked it."

"It was very kind of him to get Sky and I these outfits. We've never dressed up for Halloween for real like this before." Alex smiled. She could feel her face flushing under her dark skin as Addy pulled Skylar out next.

With a quick hug, Addy admired Sky's Luke Skywalker costume. "They really do look great on you both. When you told John what you were thinking of as a costume I think he had a ton of fun finding the parts."

"Well it would have been great if everyone had gone with the theme of nicknames he has given us all lately." Richie said as he appeared out of the purse. He was looking directly at Jackie with a small glare.

"Well you tell me how I was supposed to dress up and be Monet then! Jackie snapped and crossed her arms.

"I think you look great as Alice honey," Addy said, pulling Cadence out last. "I think John understands that it was pretty much impossible."

Jackie stuck out her tongue at Richie who returned the look. Both had the hint of smiles around their mouths so Alex wasn't too worried.

"Is that what you call long distance French kissing?" Cadence said with a raised eyebrow at the two, which immediately made Jazz burst out laughing and Richie and Jackie turn slightly red.

From the hallway the shaggy dog Colonel burst and barked with joy at seeing them. He was wearing a tailored military uniform with the rank of Colonel and the nametag of Sheppard on the lapel. Riding on his back was Bob who was dressed as Cleopatra. As Alex looked down at the little gnome she realized he had a very sour look on his face and was staring off towards the kitchen. She looked up and saw Addy and Billy.

Addy was dressed up as Mother Goose, complete with feathers and all. She had been transformed into a large goose wearing a hat and apron. Billy was the reason Bob was glowering though. The round brown body and lanky brown hair was an unmistakable match for… Bob. Complete with red and purple belly dancing outfit that had to be a direct match for the one John bribed Bob with to return home. When Bob reached out for Addison to pick him up, Billy immediately screamed in a voice not unlike baby Serenity's and grabbed Addison around her shoulders and glared back at the little man in drag.

The older kids all had to stifle a snicker, but Jazz immediately pointed and laughed.

A moment later Ember and Gypsy joined the already crowded room with Ember screaming "Daddy's home! I just saw him out the window!" The little red head was wearing an outfit that had once been that of a red bug with black spots, but the extra feet had been burnt to a crisp. Gypsy reminded Alex strongly of an old picture of Charlie Chaplin with her oversized black and white clothes and a impish smile.

They all turned as the door flung open once again and John slid into the room and yelled out in a fake Cuban accent, "Lucy I'm home!" His hair was slicked into an immaculate quaff and he had billowing sleeves of many colors.

From the hallway Dia entered yellingin a high pitched voice "Awwwww Rickie! You're home!" She ran over and gave John a kiss. "Did you get me a spot in your show?"

John gave her a silly look and shook his head. "You know you are no good at dancing and a singin' Lucy! Eyyeyeyeeye!"

Dia turned her head and made a face. "Waaaaaaaa!"

"Oh Lucy, don't cry." John said in his silly Cuban accent. "Come here cause you've got some 'splainin' to do."

Dia looked back at John. "'Splainin'? What's that? Some new form of housework you think needs done?"

John pretended to glare at Dia, putting his hands on his hips. "You've been making fun of my English for fifteen years. I don't make fun of your Spanish."

Dia glared back at him. "That's different. Spanish is a foreign language."

"English is a foreign language to me." He said in the heavy accent.

"Well, the way you speak it, it is to me too." Dia quipped.

John opened his mouth and started shaking a finger when Addy finally yelled out "Okay Lucy and Rickie. That's enough. I think Rickie has a firebug costume he said he'd finish repairing."

Richard looked up at Addy but she shook her head. "Not you Hamlet. Ricky Ricardo."

John laughed and quickly gave all the older kids a hug, admiring their outfits on his way through the room. He made several of them giggle with his silly accent. Alexis hoped no one could tell she was turning red again when he asked her to give her best Xena yell. He smiled and hugged her again when she did it and everyone clapped and told her that she had captured it well.

Mother Goose and the giant version of Bob headed back into the kitchen to start bringing out snacks as Harmony and Jazz started chatting with Dia about the candy. She showed them where it was around the corner of the dining room and they went to inspect it for Jazz's approval.

As Ember drug her father from the room, Alex saw her stop and tell Richie that she would be right back and expected an update. Gypsy stepped over and folded her arms. "You can give that report to me in the meantime!"

Richie frowned down at the little scamp. "What, are you going to do if I don't, huh? Call out your dogs of war?" He said theatrically.

Colonel barked several times in reply. Richie looked at him and grumbled, "Oh, yeah. I see. You really do have a dog of war."

"Yep, and Bob is the Queen of Denial."

"That's the Nile Gyp." Jackie said with a sigh.

"No, that's what daddy called him earlier." Gypsy said with a giggle. She turned back to Richie. "So what did you find out?"

"As I said before, if we had any new information we'd tell you! We've looked everywhere, even the Room of Requirement! There is still no sign of the clock. And harassing us about it isn't helping. Do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe?"

Gypsy gave him a weird look. "What?"

Richie smiled. "Tis now the very witching time of night, when churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out contagion to this world: now could I drink hot blood. And do such bitter business as the day would quake to look on."

"What?" The little girl said again, clearly confused.

"Oh, Gyp," Jackie said, taking the little girls hand, "ignore him. He's been quoting Shakespeare ever since the camping trip."

Gypsy looked at him with a funny look. "Why? Did he get bit by something?"

Richie patted Cadence's shoulder. "Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. He hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rises at it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft. Where be your gibes now; your gambols, your songs? your flashes of merriment, that were wont to set the table on a roar?"

"The table on the floor?" Gypsy tried to understand but John entered the room with Ember in tow, her costume ablaze.

"Wow Richie! That was amazing!" John smiled then stammered, "Um I mean, it was amazin'!" he said again with the silly accent. "How long did it take you to memoris' that?"

"The more important question is how long until he forgets all of that… now that's an answer I'm interested in…" Jackie grumbled.

John smiled at her. "So anyone else memoris' any lines?"

Cadence nudged Sky. "Use the force Luke."

Dia, Jazz and Harmony wandered back into the room. Harmony looked over Ember. "You know, if it had been Billy saying that spell, I'd be worried."

"How do you think it started actually burning the first time…" John said but Billy flung the door open.

"I heard that!" He shouted into the room. Addy waddled into the room after him with trays of treats for everyone.

"Hey, that's my line!" Dia yelled. "Ricky! What are you going to do about it?" She whined in a high pitched voice as she sat on the arm of the couch.

"What I always do about it." John replied.

Dia slumped back on the arm of the couch. "That's what I was afraid of…"

"Ha! I win! Yes!" Billy yelled and then smacked Addy's feathery backside to which she let out a startled "HONK!"

Dia burst out laughing with such force that she fell off the couch arm. Addy turned around and smacked Billy back playfully. John walked over and sat his wife up again and sat on the couch, pulling her onto his lap. When the laughter died down they heard a strange noise coming up onto the porch outside, like the footsteps of an invading army approaching.

Sky whispered into the sudden silence in the room, "I've got a bad feeling about this…"

The gate proudly proclaiming The Legion of Dynamic Discord swirled into site. It was getting late in the evening and even the trick or treating children were becoming scarce. The street was growing quiet with the ticking away of the evening. Until they stepped across the threshold under the gate.

Marcus Smith looked at his wife Maria and rolled his eyes. It wasn't the first time the Ministry's Auror Office had sent them to check on their coworkers John and Dia McPherson. It was standard policy for a decade now to keep an eye out for anything suspicious at their fellow Auror's places, a safety thing really. But for some reason there seemed to be more investigations for these two than all the other Auror's put together. Marcus admitted to himself that the McPhersons were some of the best at the job, but often wondered about them and the family they lived it. It was strange, three families living in the same house with all those children, and now taking in two more. He just couldn't understand how anyone could live and even thrive in that sort of nonsense and chaos that followed the family everywhere.

Tonight they had been sent to investigate what looked like an invasion of foreign insurgence into their home. Several reports had arrived about strangely dressed individuals arriving at the end of the street, then slowly moving to the house. 25 to 30 of them, often wearing cloaks or heavy coats and obviously concealing something. Marcus couldn't imagine what kind of a clandestine meeting could possibly be going on in their house. He just hoped it was something harmless. But it still required someone to check it out.

Maria's same length platinum blond hair was pulled back into her customary ponytail that hung down her back. They were on duty tonight so they were not dressed in costumes even though he had suggested they make use of how tall and thin they both were and go as grim reapers. In the end Maria thought it wouldn't go so well if they had to pop into a scene where injured people were. It could scare them too much. Marcus had to agree with his wife's judgment. But it would have made a convenient cover upon entering this particular premises. They hated having to spy on this family. They were good people after all. But the ministry was worried that if anything happened to them the affects would stretch throughout the ministry and even to Hogwarts. Checking up on them helped keep the wizarding community safe was the thought. Marcus sometimes wondered if it wasn't the other way around.

They could tell that the party inside was still in full swing. Marcus marveled once again at the wise choice to sound proof this property from the neighbors. He could smell the fireworks in the air and the scent from what had to be a bonfire in the back yard. Streamers were strewn everywhere around and across the bushes, and there were coats, pants and shirts and a few pairs of shoes flung aside. They gingerly stepped onto the porch and Maria matched eyes with him again before she raised her pale hand to knock firmly at the door.

It was always interesting to see what this household was doing, but Marcus was fairly certain he was going to think about this night for many years to come. The door wasn't closed all the way and it swung open from the force.

Immediately inside the doorway sat a chair. And on that chair sat a large cat. A cat in a hat. Getting a dance. A dance on the lap. But the cat was unhappy from the dance on his lap as the very large and sweaty man in bra and panties that was doing it wouldn't get off and let him up. The big Native American was laughing so hard for the other man Steve to stop that he was having a hard time breathing.

In the far corner of the room he could see the other ministry worker, Billy Denbrough, was tied up and hanging from the wall. A rather nasty yet sexy dominatrix was hitting him lightly with a whip telling him to be a good boy or else. The room was filled with other people in different states of dress, but it looked to Marcus like a stripper convention had broken out in the house.

Maria turned her head and peered around the door when she heard a voice she recognized yelling "take it off John! I mean Rickie Ricardo!" It was of course Jacordia. Marcus leaned around the doorframe as well and watched as several men in drag tried to help John out of his shoes, then shirt. When they went for his pants, the man broke free and suddenly froze upon seeing the two in the doorway.

"Well, um, hello Marcus! Maria!" John smiled at them, trying to snag back his undershirt from a mostly naked and very hairy Go Go dancer. "Won't you come in? The party is in full swing." He said in a fake Cuban accent.

Before he could say anything, a tall blond woman approached him on the left from inside. It was the Hogwarts Professor Harmony Whitehorse. She smiled sweetly then shoved a drink into both of their hands then drug them through the door.

Harmony noticed the strange looks on their faces and laughed. "Oh don't mind everyone. Jazz tried to play a prank on everyone, but John and Billy tried to turn it back on him but the kids got the last laugh!"

Marcus wondered if this was supposed to explain everything. He gave the woman a confused look.

"The people you don't recognize are old friends from Vegas. They are in London for a Clown convention. But showing up in those costumes would have gotten them vaporized by Addy. The kids thought a gang of strippers would be more appropriate."

With a giggle, Dia stepped up to Marcus and his wife.

"Well, I'm your Vitavigavegivat Girl." The red headed woman said. "Are you tired, run down, listless? Do you pop out at parties? Are you unpoopular?" She paused for a minute, looking at them both. "Well, are you? The answer to all your problems is in this little ol' bottle, Vitameatavegamin."

As Dia checked the label that did say Vitameatavegamin, Marcus looked at his wife again. She returned the amused look as Dia took a big swig of her own drink and poured some more of what was in the bottle in her glass and theirs as well.

"That's it. Vitameatavegamin contains vitamins, meat, megetables and vinerals. So why don't you join the thousands of happy peppy people and get a great big bottle of Vitaveatyvemeanyminimoe. I'll tell you what you have to do. You have to take a whole tablespoonful after every meal. It's so tasty too. It's just like candy."

He could tell by the smell that it was just Irish Whiskey. Dia stumbled back and drank from her glass, teetering to the side. When she was done she looked at them again.

"So everybody get a bottle of..." She pointed to the bottle as she slurred her words, "this stuff."

Before he could ask how much she had drank, Marcus saw Dia's eyes snap to the open doorway, scanning the darkness beyond. In a instant he realized that the drunkenness was all an act. He just wasn't sure why.

With a slight redness to his face John managed to get his shirt back on to which Dia frowned. "I liked it better the other way."

He leaned over and gave her a huge kiss and then swept her into his arms.

"Alright you two, don't make me separate you." A big goose honked from across the room. Marcus knew it was Addy's voice.

"Well hello there Mother Goose." Maria smiled. "I figured you more for the little old lady who lived in a shoe."

"I did that last year." The goose cackled. "And a touch too close for reality sake anyway. The neighbors complaining? Wait, where's Ember and Gypsy…"

"Oh, they are out at the bonfire with the other kids." Harmony said to the goose. "So it isn't them this time."

"Oh, no," Maria said with a smile, "we thought we'd just drop in and see how the party was going."

"In other words," Dia cut in, trying to escape from her husband's arms, "someone probably saw the group of people entering our gate and freaked. Am I right?" She said then immediately turned and tried to smack her husband who had part of her dress undone. "Don't make me sick the strippers on you again."

"I was thinking of some turnabout is fair play there Lucy," he said in the accent. "You got some of my clothes off, I get some of yours." He grabbed her again and she struggled against him, careful to not really hurt him.

"Now stop that before you make me angry there Ricky."

"Ohhhh what are you gonna do there Lucy, cry about it?"

"And back to the subject at hand," the large goose cut the others off and turned back to Maria. "So, is it true? Our stripper invasion set off some bells?"

"As a matter of fact yes," Maria sighed.

"We are really sorry you had to come out here for such a silly thing." Addy said, patting the woman on the shoulder with a feathery wing. "But rest assured, no one is getting hurt."

From the other side of the room, Billy tired to yell out around the ball gag in his mouth.

"Badly at least." She added with a smile.

Dia broke loose from John's arms and tripped into the back end of Addy, making the goose let out a loud "HONK!" Mother Goose snaked her long neck around. "John, get a hold of yourself!"

"I'd rather get a hold of her, eyeyeyyee!" He said as he made another lunge for his wife who fell again into the large bird.

She swung her backside and knocked the tall dark haired man into the fat stripper that was still sitting on Jazz's lap, knocking them all over into a heap. The large man in panties landed on John, flattening him to the ground and knocking the wind out of him.

Jazz made a leap for freedom. As he passed by Billy others started to give chase. Billy grunted for him to help untie the large gnome. "Sorry buddy, but I haven't a clue, to untie knots, you know what to do!" And then Jazz was gone.

"Someone get this guy off me!" John grunted from the floor.

"What do you want me to do Ricky," the goose hissed, "you got yourself into this. Serves you right."

"I don't care what you do, lay a golden egg for all I care. Just get this guy off me before all Dia's favorite parts on me never work again!"

With a sigh the bird's beak tapped the large man's shoulder. When he twisted around to look at her, she snorted through her nose then hissed. "Alright there clown, get off him before Dia loses her best source of entertainment. Unless you want Dia angry with you…"

The scantily clad man hurriedly got up and off John who lay groaning on the floor.

Ember ran into the room followed closely by Gypsy. "Daddy, daddy, daddy, guess what?" She found him and immediately ran over to him and pounced on his chest knocking the wind out of him once again.

"Oh honey you're killing me…" John groaned, his face turning more red.

The little girl was so excited that she bounced up and down. "I found more fireworks!"

"Yeah, Uncle Jazz was hiding them under the back porch." Gypsy blurted out.

You have to come see daddy! Bob wanted a big fanfare for his Walk Like an Egyptian dance he put together. You gotta come see!"

"Yeah warden, come see!" Gypsy echoed, jumping up and down and eventually landed on John's stomach. "And just wait till you see what Ember can make her costume do! Just like a real Firebug!"

"Oh, that makes me kinda frightened…" he grunted, "fine, I'll come look but you two have to get off of me first."

Their bracelets buzzed. Marcus and Maria gave Dia a funny look when she said "Uh ho" under her breath.

"There trouble? Do you need help?" Marcus asked with a touch of alarm.

"Well, according to Richard, Bob now has a stage show. And it promises to have a big ending." She looked down at John. "We'd better get out there. And you too Addy, I think Bob is trying to win you back."

"Well then help me up Lucy. The show must go on!" He said it the fake accent again.

As she pulled him to his feet he smiled at Addy. "I'm telling you, we should get him a girlfriend."

The goose gave a dismissive honk.

The large man named Steve that had been sitting on John spoke up. "I can make your little gnome friend a golem. A girl one. Would that help? I'm a furniture and doll maker by trade. I know just the right spell to make it come to life for him."

"Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!" The two little girls were jumping up and down and screaming. "Make Bob a girlfriend! Make Bob a girlfriend!"

John tried to calm the little girls. "Okay, okay, we'll see what we can do."

They shrieked and went running out of the room to tell the others. Addy glared at John. "Glad to see you are still working on that NO thing…"

"Oh, come on; don't get your feathers ruffled." He grinned, grabbing his wife around the waist and pulling her close. "At least it is a mouth you won't have to actually feed." He gave Dia a quick kiss but then pressed in farther for a more passionate one.

"Well," Harmony sighed, "let's get going." She looked at Marcus and Maria. "You two should stay. Bob's shows are getting better and better."

John swept Dia off her feet yelling "I love Lucy!" and took her out of the room, followed by the large man and everyone else still standing around eating and drinking. Billy started hollering as they filed past but no one stopped.

"Is someone going to untie Billy?" Maria asked. The goose just shrugged and waddled out, following the others.

"I suppose we should untie him dear." Marcus said, moving forward.

"Wait, we'll untie him, but I want a picture first…"

Chapter 12

The Knights of the Overcrowded Table

**Morning came, as it always did, way too quickly. Serenity was the first one up, which meant that Addy was the second. Quietly the two made their way to the living room. The house looked as if a battle had been waged, and lost. Addy pulled her wand from her pocket. With a flick of her wrist, the mess began tidying itself up. Addy made her way to the kitchen with Serenity on her hip. She was thankful that the mess had not made its way in there. She put the kettle on for tea, and started the coffee. **

**Callen stumbled into the kitchen rubbing his eyes.**

"**How are you feeling this morning sweetie? I am sorry you weren't feeling well and had to miss out on last night's events." Addy smoothed his sandy blond hair, and hugged him.**

"**It's okay mom, I had a few visitors throughout the night, to keep me company. Alex and Sky kept bringing me things to eat or drink. Not that I was hungry, but they meant well." Callen pulled out a chair and sat down. "I feel much better at any rate. Richie wouldn't let up about the Nanny McPhee costume. Did he really think I would even consider that?"**

"**Oh you know Richie. Much like his father, once he gets an idea in his head he just won't let it go." Addy laughed.**

"**Here Mom, I will take her." Callen reached his hand out for Serenity. Addy was handing her off just as she heard tiny footsteps from the living room. She turned just in time to see Bob walk in to the kitchen. She had to cover her mouth and stifle the giggle about to come out. There stood Bob dressed in a tiny business suit, tie and all. Over top he was wearing a wizard's robe that looked a lot like the one Billy wore to the Ministry. He had a very no nonsense look about his face. **

"**Well, good morning sir." Addy nodded her head and smiled at the little man. She filled a tiny cup with tea, and prepared a small biscuit with jam for him. Mean while Bob climbed up the leg of a chair and on to the table. As he climbed Addy couldn't help but notice the high heels and fishnet stockings he wore. Addy just shook her head. Callen was grinning from ear to ear. Serenity giggled. Bob ripped a small square from the previous days Daily Profit and climbed into his highchair. As he studied the bit of news paper he sipped his tea, and nibbled at his biscuit. **

**Addy poured cereal for Serenity and Callen. Callen put the baby in her highchair. Addy made a few biscuits for herself and poured her tea. The four were eating quietly when Dia came into the kitchen. **

"**Good morning." She said, absently as she removed the lid from the cake stand and grabbed a pastry. She made her tea, and turned to lean against the counter and face the four sitting at the table. She choked on the doughnut in her mouth, and quickly washed it down with some tea. Addy put her finger to her lips. Dia stifled the laughter about to come from her mouth. With new composure, Dia made her way over to the table and sat next to Addy.**

"**You know the more I think about it, the less shocked I am." Dia smiled at Addy. "And the more it tickles me that Billy is going to be un-thrilled, heh and I didn't have to do anything." Dia giggled softly.**

**Slowly everyone in the family shuffled into the kitchen one by one. Each being shushed as not to disturb Bob. Except for the trouble twins. They came running into the kitchen. They were worried when they awoke and Bob was not sleeping in the canopy bed Harmony had made for him. They were just relived that he had not found his way into trouble. Addy was sure he had but Billy had not made it to the kitchen yet. Everyone sat and eat, chatting quietly. Addy turned to Dia and Harmony. **

"**Isn't it funny. This is the calmest breakfast we have ever had. Too bad Billy will be down soon to ruin it." She giggled and sipped her tea. Dia and Harmony laughed quietly and nodded in agreement.**

**Billy was the last one down. Addy could tell that he was puzzled by the lack of noise coming from the kitchen when he entered. She also knew the exact moment his brain registered what his eyes were seeing. He eyed Bob as he made his way to the coffee pot. Bob didn't even acknowledge his presents. That is until Billy tried to sit next to Addy. Bob stood up in his chair, shook his stubby little finger at Billy and clearly said, "No!" Then pointed him to the empty chair by Jackie. Billy looked at Addy.**

"**What, you heard "The Man". I am not fighting your battles for you." Addy said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Grinning madly the whole time.**

"**Let's just hope it isn't a battle of wits." Dia smiled as the words oozed from her mouth. "One of you would be unarmed!" **

"**Go!" Bob shouted at Billy tapping his foot impatiently. "Now!" Everyone except Billy had to hold back their laughter. Ember and Gypsy were very excited over Bob's new words. They cooed and celebrated. Serenity however was not pleased. She bopped Bob on the back of the head, and dumped the remaining contents of her bowl on him. Bob let out a howl, and started to cry. Just as Addy started to scold the child Billy spoke up. **

"**Hey! Now Addison, we would want you fighting other people's battles now." His tone was smooth, and almost cocky. Addy pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at him. Bob had reduced his cry to a whimper. Billy turned to Serenity. "That wasn't very nice young lady. Even if you were sticking up for your daddy." Serenity stuck her bottom lip out in a powerful pout. Then something really wonderful happened. Serenity spoke for the first time.**

"**Sorry Bob." she said sincerely. Then she reached over pulled him from his chair and kissed the top of his head where she had hit him. "All better." She told him. Bob hugged the little girl as everyone stared, mouths agape.**

**The rest of the morning went by in a hurry. Addy and Harmony made breakfast for their guests from America. Dia made sure they had all of their belongings, even the ones that Bob had nicked. This upset Bob, but Sky consoled him with the fact that he could make Bob anything he would like. Callen spent most of his time trying to coax more words from Serenity, becoming very frustrated when she would only speak to Colonel. John, Billy and Jazz secluded themselves to the tree house after bidding farewell to their guests. This had most of the children worried, as they had put a "Do Not Enter" sign on the door. Addy tried to reassure them that everything was fine, and the boys were preparing a surprise for the family. With their curiosity peeked, most of the children were restless. Jackie seemed to be the only one not trying to guess what events was in-store for the evening. She was, as usual, lost in her sketch book.**

The tap at the front door got Sky's attention, but he wasn't sure at first if it was okay to answer it. With a worried look he matched eyes with Richie who just shrugged. "It's okay, sounds like an owl. This is your house too now. You can answer the door."

With a small amount of trepidation Skylar set aside the book he was looking at and approached the door. Years of fear at the knock of a door had ingrained into him that trouble could be on the other side. He slowly pulled the door open and there stood one of the Hogwarts school owls with a letter in its beak. With a flick of its head, the owl flapped into the room proper and deposited the envelope into Addison's arms who had just entered the room. Which a flicker of its wings, the owl then did a mid air turn about and flew back out the way it had come and off into the horizon.

"Well," Richie grinned, "it isn't red. That has to be a good sign, right?"

"It's from Minerva." Addy surveyed the envelope and then opened it, pulling out the parchment from within.

Suddenly Sky realized that he could barely breathe as if a massive fist had started squeezing his chest. It had been wonderful to get to sleep in his very own room for the first time last night but now worried about the decisions that had been made.

"She says here that the Stanton boys, Devon and Damien, have received detention for the slurs that several others overheard at the Halloween Party. She also would like to remind all of you that your field trip with Professor Whitehorse will not get them out of any tests they may have on Monday, so not to forget to study. And there is a P.S. at the bottom asking Harmony to get better security on her purse before she calls John in to watch over lunch detention." Addy summarized the letter, then looked up at the boys with a caring smile. "I didn't think she would have too much of a problem with it all."

The grip on his chest relaxed immediately and Sky couldn't stop himself from a sigh of relief. To cover it, he decided to ask Addy about the reference contained in the letter. "Why would Mr. McPherson have to watch lunch detention?"

With a smile of remembrance, Addy answered. "John was Head Boy back when we all were at Hogwarts. He often had to watch over lunch detention. Good thing too as he often was able to get us out of trouble. Between Dia and Jazz, poor John spent a large amount of time covering for us. So it is an inside joke to remind us to try a little harder."

"Did he like watching lunch detention?" Alex asked from the corner of the room where she had been helping Sky design a Princess Leia slave outfit for Bob.

"He liked being big man on campus for sure," Addy laughed, her eyes taking a faraway look. "And it gave him an excuse to get away from Dia's phenomenal bad moods on many days. For a while I used to get worried he was only doing it to get all the girls in the school to adore him, but he eventually came around. Well," she made a slight laugh, "Dia went out of her way to take his ego down several pegs so it didn't run away with him. He was a great Head Boy and whereas I'm not sure if he liked it per se, but he didn't hate it. Unless Dia needed him. But he got out of it on those days so it all worked out alright in the end."

"I thought Dia spent most of the last years of Hogwarts proving she didn't need anyone." Callen said as he entered the room with Serenity on his hip.

"Just because she said she didn't need anyone didn't mean it was true. I can't imagine what would have happened to her if it wasn't for John. It may not seem like it, but I'm not sure she could cope without him by her side."

"That's because," Dia's voice boomed loudly in the room. Everyone turned to see her enter from the hallway that lead to the back door, "I have to have him by my side, or else he could get into trouble charging off into danger without thinking first. I have to keep an eye on him." Her eyes were glaring but a smile played around her lips.

"Mmmm hmmm." Addy said dismissively with an arched eyebrow and folding her arms in front of her. "I seemed to remember only a few years ago you waiting for hours for him to finish up working on the extensions to the tree house for the kids instead of just leaving him behind to go to a party."

"Those parties that the McCoy's throw are so boring that I had to wait for him to go. He is the only one who can do that idle prattle with ease. Mr. McCoy may be a good Auror, but his wife really needs to find a life. I've never seen anyone with such a snow globe obsession."

"I think you are just afraid to go to any social event without him." Addy countered.

"Well if they allowed me to stun people for random stupidity I'd be fine…"

"Sure. Uh huh." Addy gave her a knowing grin. "And the concert? You wouldn't go to that until he was back from the Ministry also."

"He had the tickets."

"What about your habit of not going to bed until he does?"

"How else am I supposed to make sure he gets to bed safely? You never know what he could be doing when he is faffing about. And besides, you never know what stupid thing he may do and I wouldn't be there to take pictures."

"I see…" Addy smirked.

Before Dia could retort, Cadence came bursting into the room. "The tree house door is opening! There are floating trumpets that are sounding! Come quick!" The boy blurted with excitement then just as quickly ran from the room and back down the hall.

Richie grinned and immediately jumped up to follow Cadence. Alex gave Sky an amused look and got to her feet as well. Addy and Dia exchanged looks but couldn't hide the smiles as they too walked out of the room and down the hall to join the rest of the family at the base of the tree house.

Just as Cadence had said there were trumpets blaring into the air as they hovered above them just off the top of the porch landing. There were ribbons tied to the horns and it made Skylar immediately think of medieval times.

A few steps away Harmony sighed. "Darn good thing we had this place spelled to be sound proof."

Finally a little figure wearing a full suit of armor appeared in the doorway then walked over and climbed up the barrier to stand on the railing. It was about the size of Bob, but since Bob was riding Colonel who was standing just in front of them with Ember and Gypsy, Sky guessed it was the golem the men had been trying to work on unsuccessfully last night. Obviously it went better with the light of day and several hours of sleep.

"Citizens of The Legion of Dynamic Discord," the little knight said in a female voice to the small crowd gathered below, "The Knights of this castle bid you good day and entrance to their abode. Come all ye of good humor and liveliness to sit and listen to great deeds of heroism and honor as the Three Musketeers entertain you." The knight paused then added, "Sir McPherson would like to remind the beautiful lady McPherson that we said GOOD humor. No killing." And after another gap said, "And no killing the messenger please."

There was a smattering of giggling and the kids started to run up the stairway. Colonel padded along beside Ember up the gangway but Bob's eyes were on the little knight. Sky started to wonder just how much language Bob understood as he followed behind. The little gnome was still in his business suit since Addy gave it a quick magical cleaning after breakfast. Sky wondered if he should go and fetch the gnome's renaissance gown.

When Sky made it to the upper landing, he watched Gypsy take down the little knight and hold her in her arms. Bob was staring at them both but Richie grabbed Sky's arm and hauled him inside the tree house.

The fire was flickering in the pit in the middle of the room. Banners hung about the room and there were tables with snacks of all kinds. Jazz stood on the other side of the room and held a sword to each person as they entered. "Halt! In the name of the Knights of the Overcrowded Table, I hereby demand that you stand fast and give name to yourself and declare your intentions!"

Richie smiled back at Jazz, standing just in front of Sky. "I am Sir Richie, here to listen to stories of daring tales. And, um, eat some of those cookies sitting over there on the stand. Oh, and drink hot coco."

"Welcome to our humble abode Sir Richie. Make way to yonder table and feast at your very whim!" He leaned in closer to Richie and in a whisper said, "but make sure your mom gets some of those cookies or she'll kill me."

Richie nodded and entered, but then waited for Jazz to hold up the sword to Sky's neck.

"Halt! In the name of the Knights of the Overcrowded Table, I hereby demand that you stand fast and give name to yourself and declare your intentions!"

"I'm Sky-"

"Sir Skylar," Jazz whispered from the corner of his mouth.

"Um, Sir Skylar, and I'm here to, follow Sir Richie."

With a chuckle Jazz dropped the sword from Sky's throat. "Welcome to our humble abode Sir Skylar, and enjoy yourself as you follow Sir Richie. I suggest getting a seat close to the front thh as there will be pictures shown."

Quickly Skylar moved out of the doorway and the two boys wandered in farther, looking around. John stood towards the back of the room helping the different kids get food and find a seat. There was a big throne at the end of the room not far from the fire that was adorned with animal hides, weapons and assorted staffs. Billy sat in the chair and motioned for his subjects to sit and get comfortable, making them all smile. There was a pile of books next to the throne that Sky realized was a bunch of the photo albums the family had.

"Halt! In the name of the Knights-"

"Jazz, remove that overgrown knife before I find a new sheath for it," Dia's voice growled.

Immediately John's head came up and he bounded across the room to take the hand of his wife.

"I'll vouch for this good, kind, and hopefully understanding woman Sir Jazz." He said in his silly Cuban accent.

"Oh Merlin's beard John," Addy said from behind Dia, "you aren't really going to keep that up all night, are you?"

"Only until my loving lady here smiles and tells me it is her wish that I quit," he responded, earning an instant devious smile from Dia. Addy just rolled her eyes and sighed.

He led her over to a pile of blankets. Quickly he handed them out to the younger children working his way to the older ones as they found their places to settle. Underneath was a chair proudly proclaiming her name. Sky had of course seen the old chair in the tree house but this time the overstuffed chair looked rather new. He figured one of the many things the men had been doing was fixing all the broken and old items in the tree house so they could be pressed into service again. John kissed Dia's hand as he bowed low, sweeping his other hand toward the seat.

"And here is your throne my lady, remade with my love, respect, admiration, and a complete replacement of the stuffing after the pigmy puffs decided to try to make a nest out of it." John said in a grand way but still with a hint of the accent. She smiled and touched his cheek lightly with her fingers, stroking it softly before allowing him to help her get comfortable. He pulled up a chair next to her and had a small table to the back that held cups of coco and different snacks. The front of the chairs touched so they could hold hands as they sat.

For the first time, a pang of sadness shot through Skylar's chest as he wondered if he would ever find a partner that cared so much for him. In a room full of people, Skylar felt the stab of loneliness.

As Skylar turned he watched Billy rise from his chair and kneel before his wife Addison and beckon her to sit next to him in her chair. It also had been remade and looked sturdy and clean once again. She touched the letters of her name and mouthed a silent thank you to her husband before she sat.

On the opposite side of the fire from John and Dia sat the chairs for Jazz and Harmony who were still helping the last of the children to settle down. Bella the cat had wandered into the room and Melody was sure Colonel was going to chase her the second he got a chance. The dog made a significant sniff in the air and ignored the black cat as he flicked his ears back to the little woman in the knight's suit.

Ember saw the Sheppard staring again. The knight had taken off her helmet and it was apparent she was a golem made of Dragonwood. The dog licked his lips.

"Colonel," Ember said with a no nonsense edge to her voice, "she isn't a chew toy. You understand?" She waggled her finger at him. He looked into her eyes and gave her a short whine. "I said no." Colonel looked back at the little gnome and gave a big sigh and laid his head down on his front paws, still staring at the little knight.

"She needs a name." Gypsy said, holding the golem in her lap.

Ember thought for a second, tapping her chin with a finger. Bob sat up against Colonel staring at the little knight and occasionally wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"How about Juliette?" Dia said, sitting not far behind the little girls. "Since she is here for your little Romeo, right?"

The smile grew on the girls' faces as they nodded.

With a sly look at John, Dia whispered. "You got to name Colonel. My turn." He squeezed her hand in response.

While he waited for the younger twins Aria and Jubilee to find their pigmy puffs Fred and Wilma, who had apparently not taken the eviction from Dia's chair well, Sky looked over a few more of the books that were on shelves in the room. He enjoyed reading the comments that were in many of the old school books margins and back pages. Since often talking in class was not allowed, the six, sometimes seven friends had taken to using the texts to write out their conversations. Sometimes they were informative, but often they were funny or entertaining in the creative threats they held.

A heavy 7th year Potions book lay not far from him so Sky reached out and pulled it to himself and opened it, leafing through the old pages, stopping now and again to read the handwriting. He was getting pretty good at figuring out who's belonged to which teenager. He saw it often enough on his bracelet but the words themselves often gave it away. Harmony loved to draw extra little simple pictures like balloons and hearts, Addy drew more elaborate pictures, Dia's just dripped with sarcasm.

He found a passage on the back of a page that was full of handwritten text. The potion was for The Fog of Death.

(Dia's scratchy writing) I bet you can do that spell. Assuming you actually look at your book and stop making googly eyes at the blond haired blue eyed moron sitting across from you.

(In John's writing) I don't think that is a good idea Dia. That's a pretty deadly spell.

(In Addy's beautiful writing) Are you saying I'd screw it up John?

(John) No, I think if anyone can do it, you could. I just think it is dangerous.

(Dia) Which is exactly why you should do it.

(John) That's a terrible reason.

(Dia) You don't want her to do it which is good enough for me for why she should. Besides, Gryffindor is behind on points. Professor Slughorn always gives us extra points for these sort of things.

(Billy's pointy writing) I wonder what he does with all the extra credit items you make Addy.

(Jazz's large writing) Who cares. We need the points. I say do it.

(John) You want to do everything Jazz. Get some self control.

(Jazz) Make me.

(John) I can.

(Illegible writing due to being written then scratched out and scribbled over.)

(Addy) Knock it off. This is my book, not yours. I've made the base for the potion already anyway.

(Dia) I like the description. Purple with flecks of silver. Its sounds like it is only slightly darker than the potion for removal of moss from gargoyle statues.

(Addy) Good point. I should probably put it in a different bottle than the ones for regular potions just make it stand out so no one accidentally unstoppers it thinking it is something else.

(Dia) I've got a perfume bottle I just dumped out, will that work?

(John) What bottle? The perfume I just gave you?

(Dia) You mean the perfume you gave me so I'd smell like Sandy? You didn't think I'd notice the same stench on that bitch's body?

(John) I liked the smell. Thought you would too.

(Dia) If you like it so much go sit next to her.

(John) Fine. I just might. At least she likes my company.

(Addy) No you won't John. You are going to sit right here. Stir your pot. Dia, the bottle would be just fine.

(Jazz) Hey, when you are done, can we test the potion?

(Addy) Oh who Jazz? It kills any human that smells the fog instantly.

(Jazz) Exactly! We can be in our animal forms when we test it. I have some great ideas on who

(Addy) No Jazz.

(John) No Jazz.

(Billy) No Jazz.

(Dia) Well…

(John) No Dia.

(Dia) Don't tell me no John. You'll regret it someday.

(John) Why not? You tell me no all the time.

(Dia) Because

(Addy) Enough you two. The potion's done. The bottle is perfect. John, you honestly gave her the same perfume you gave Sandy? Did you eat a bowl of stupid today or something?

(John) I just liked the smell.

(Addy) You're an idiot John.

(Dia) I agree.

(Jazz) Ditto.

(John) Shut up Jazz.

Sky couldn't help but smile at reading the exchange. He felt someone leaning close. As he looked up he saw Jazz reading over his shoulder.

"Hey," Jazz said with a quirky smile, "I remember that day. Funny thing, that bottle ended up being a better idea than we ever had realized at the time."

From the front of the fire, Addy asked, "What bottle Jazz?"

Jazz straightened up. "Remember the Fog of Death you cooked up back in our 7th year?

"Oh, yeah. Boy did that one come back around." Addy sighed.

"What happened?" Sky asked.

"It was when Richie, Jackie and the twins were way younger, although I think Addy was pregnant." Dia took over.

"Addy's always pregnant." Jazz grinned, ignoring the glare he was getting from the woman.

"Anyway," Dia continued, "John and I got called away to go after this dark wizard who lived on a pig farm. Used it as a cover to import illegal magical creatures. We got there and chased the wizard to the barn where he pulled out a vile from his pocket. I recognized the purple liquid in the perfume bottle and immediately changed."

With a chuckle, John added, "I was right behind her. When I saw her change into her dragon form I knew to change as well. It isn't something she does lightly. Saved my life."

"Come to find out," Billy jumped in, "that old Slughorn had been selling the extra credit potions and making a tidy profit. No wonder he loved giving points for extra credit work. He probably made a fortune off Addy alone."

"Of course if it hadn't been for the perfume John had bought Dia then who knows if it would have turned out the same." Jazz said with a wink to Sky.

"Jazz, you didn't have to remind us of that." John growled low.

"What? Of your failed attempt at winning Dia's affections?" Jazz laughed and turned to the kids. "And that should be a lesson to all you boys. Don't EVER buy the girl you hope to date your last girlfriend's same perfume."

"I liked the smell…"

The rest of the day and far into the night was spent in the tree house listening to stories of the past. Alex enjoyed how the whole family became so engaged in each telling, teasing one another, helping fill in details, or rehashing old arguments that she could tell would never be won or lost.

Each of the children got to tell their favorite stories. Richie of course had to tell the story of how he was conceived. There were many shouts interjected from each party as the tale was spun, Billy pretending to still be mad about being left to a futile search in the wilds for the missing Dia, Harmony cooing over the rings, Addy grumbling about crocodiles.

Jackie told about how when she was little her father took her to the playground to push her on the swing and Jazz decided to play a prank on them. She showed the pictures of the scene afterwards along with the muggle police report of the renegade Yeti in the outskirts of London.

The older twins told a story about a trip to a visiting Circus and how their mother had to track it down the next day to retrieve their dad who had annoyed the pregnant Dia so badly that when he had changed to a white stallion to run away from her, she spelled him so he couldn't turn back and then told the employees that their horse was getting away. Jazz had to do his impression of Dia who was almost ready to give birth at the time to Ember which earned him a zap from Dia's wand before John got it away from her.

Jazz started to tell a story of not long after he had met Dia in America and they had decided to break into the local muggle bank to put their faces on all the money. Addy and John kept trying to turn it into a tale of what kids shouldn't do but how Jazz told the story all the children couldn't help but from laughing at their antics with the muggles and the very unhappy local tribe who had to come claim them and do many memory spells.

"How did you two meet in America anyway?" Alex couldn't help but ask.

"When I was sent to America to live with yet another relative, I was devastated." Dia said with a little sadness to her voice. Alex could see John squeeze her hand lightly as she continued. "My uncle once removed was supposed to be watching me but he was off on some adventure so I got bored and decided to walk around the town. I found some local boys beating up a smaller boy and was about to stop them when this tall, dark haired boy ran up and busted the kids down to size. There were four of them against him, so I helped out. Immediately it became obvious that this dark skinned boy was also a wizard. When we beat back the bullies and they ran off he picked the little kid up and made sure to find his mother and let her know what happened. It was all so very nice of him. And then he turned to me and asked if I wanted to help him catch the bullies and tar and feather them. Instantly I knew we'd be friends."

"Several jerkwads in our town and the neighboring towns got some unexpected comeuppances that summer, didn't they Dia?" Jazz said with a twinkle in his eye. "And no one could find the culprits. Funny how life works out."

"It was fun riding horses all day long, covering up the tracks so no one could follow us as we even attacked a railroad train!" Dia laughed. "The looks on those passengers' faces as they saw Jazz in full war paint complete with feathers and skins asking for all their birth control devices."

"Who knew so many women carried condoms in their purses back in those days? Our daring robbery may have caused a population explosion to occur. You never know…" Jazz said with pretend thoughtfulness.

"When the engineer who recognized you sent an owl to your mom and dad, they sure had an explosion though." Dia whistled.

"Good thing we used all the stuff immediately so none of the ill gotten booty was on our persons when we got back."

Alex and Sky exchanged looks that didn't go unnoticed.

With a chuckle Dia explained. "We decided the town sculptures of the Lewis and Clark Expedition was rather boring and unimaginative. We simply used the contraceptive devices-"

"-And other devices…" Jazz inserted.

"-to dress it up a bit. I particularly loved what Jazz replaced the water canteen in Clark's hand with."

"What was that mommy?" Ember asked, engrossed in the story.

"Oh, you know, the standard toys-" Jazz started.

John abruptly cut off both Dia and Jazz. "Like bows and arrows and stuff."

"No, actually-"

"Bows and arrows."

"I've got pictures."

"I said," John bit off each syllable separately, "bows and arrows. Now tell a different story before I run you through Sir Jazz."

Immediately Jazz drew his blade and leapt at John, thrusting and jabbing. John yanked out his own sword and countered, throwing Jazz back into Billy's lap.

"I hope you aren't going to give me a lap dance Jazz. Once in a lifetime from you is enough." Billy laughed. He pushed the dark skinned man off his lap just in time for Jazz to roll out of John's way as he advanced on him.

The mock battle went on for some minutes and Addy decided it was a perfect time to get more snacks and refill drinks. She walked around and ignored the grown men acting like children as she went about her business.

Richie leaned in and whispered to both Alex and Sky, "Don't worry, I know where the pictures are if you ever want to see them. They are in a photo album that Auntie Addy keeps in a locked cabinet. I found them when Ember sprung it open looking for something. I'll show it to you later."

When everyone had gotten a chance at a bathroom break or more food they all settled down again.

Jackie turned to her mother. "Why don't you tell us a story mom?

She was thoughtful for a second, and then stared at Dia for a moment. "I'm thinking of one from our third year…" she drifted off. Dia locked eyes with her then imperceptivity nodded.

"It was near spring. We had been in Dumbledoor's Army that Harry Potter was running. Richard was of course a year older than us and better at most of the spells than we were, but I think we held our own." She smiled a sad sort of smile. "Well, Richard and John got it in their heads that we ALL needed to become Aurors. We'd fight bad guys as a team. Our own Magnificent Seven."

"Man," sighed Billy, "I remember those days. John had started his whole Constant Vigilance thing back then. Attacked us in our sleep. I don't think I slept an entire night the whole time at Hogwarts."

"Are you kidding? I still some nights hear him walking down the hallway and wonder if he's going to attack me!" Jazz exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air to a round of laughter.

"You know what?" John said, shaking a finger at Jazz, "some nights I have actually thought about it after some of your stunts."

"Anyway," Addy headed the boys off and continued the story, "so Richard decided that we should all should spar on our own as well so we'd be a well oiled machine so to speak."

"Oh, Addy, not this story. I come off as an ass…" John groaned.

"Sorry John." Addy tilted her head at him for a moment but continued. "So one day Richard saw John in the hallway and decided to ask him when was a good time to practice sparring. John, who was leaning against the wall trying to hit on Susan Dolcheck, wasn't listening and only heard the word 'practice." So he waved Richard off and told him that they were meeting at 8pm in the Room of Requirement. He didn't tell him that was when Dia had called band practice together, being too engrossed in his conversation with Susan." Addy paused for a moment. "For those who are wondering, Richard and Dia were dating but he had a terrible habit of not communicating with her well. He'd often just announce they were all doing something without asking her first. And since he wasn't part of the band she didn't tell him about practice."

"That was because I thought he was going to go goof off with Brad, that idiot that lived down the street from him whose father was some important ministry guy. I didn't think it was necessary to tell him." Dia shrugged.

"So we are all getting set up to play when John walks in with a third year girl on each arm thinking he would impress them by playing a song or two for them." Addy said as John groaned again. "Now Dia had told John on numerous occasions to stop bringing his harem to band practice. Too often his ego got in the way and he didn't pay attention to the band and what he was supposed to be doing."

"For the record, I played just fine when those different girls watched our practice." John said defensively.

"No you didn't John, even I know that." Harmony sneered with a giggle. "Remember when you were doing your fiddle solo and were too busy watching those triplets and fell off the stage? I thought Dia was going to laugh herself silly."

"So," Addy started as John opened his mouth to protest, "there was John with two girls on him, getting chairs out for them and getting them settled. Of course we had been waiting for him for a while, already set up and all. When Dia said practice was at 8pm, she meant that we should be playing our first song by then, not waiting for a silly git to arrive. Usually Dia would have started yelling at him by now, but this time was different. We were ready for him." Addy gave everyone a huge smile.

Alexis could tell most of the kids remembered hearing this story before, but looked forward to hearing it again. She remembered them saying that John had been insufferable for several years, but she hadn't really heard any stories about it until now.

"So John jumps up on the stage and grabs his guitar, winking and waving to the two girls instead of paying attention. Dia nods to Jazz who announces that he's going to start the night off with a song. He spells his drums to play themselves so he can move about and then starts singing "I Can Make You A Man" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show."

All the kids started giggling and shifting glances over at John who just shrunk down farther in his chair.

"Because John was so intent on the girls he never noticed Dia spelling his boots to the stage." Addy had a mischievous look. "The song started with Jazz leaning on Billy's piano but soon he started to walk over to John who was still oblivious to him. So there is John, smiling and winking at these idiot girls and Jazz is behind him almost grinding on him. Finally Jazz grabs John's shirt and starts undoing each button, singing the song to him."

The room was filled with tittering laughter at the image. Even Alex couldn't help herself.

"John starts to realize something is up but at that moment, Jazz rips off John's shirt and then goes for his belt, undoing that as well. Now John starts to kinda panic and stops playing, trying to swat Jazz away from him. Jazz is able to get John's pants undone before John gets the thought to jump out of his boots, dropping his guitar on the stage."

Everyone was laughing by this time except for John who had his face buried in his hand.

"It looks like John is about to get away so Jazz trips him, laying him flat. Billy jumped over and grabbed the bottom of his pants legs and yanks them off, leaving John laying there in his underwear." Addy's voice was getting louder and more excited. "Jazz jumps on John and starts tickling him and trying to give him those big goofy smooches and trying to stop him from getting up just as Richard bursts into the room yelling "Constant vig-… what the hell?"

The room fell about in laughter.

"I don't quite remember it going like that. I'm sure-" John started to say over the laughter but Harmony cut him off.

"Are you kidding Johnny? I have the pictures to prove it!" Harmony then grabbed a photo album and opened it, showing poor John on the stage in his underwear and being sat on by Jazz. Alexis thought the look on Richard's face was priceless.

John's face turned even further red, but even he was laughing about it.

After the laughter had died down some and all the children had a chance to look at the photo, Sky pointed to the album. "It says on the outside that this book is dedicated to Richard. How come?"

"Well," Harmony said with a little trepidation and a touch of sadness, "after Richard died I kept finding so many pictures with him in it that I decided to make a scrapbook just in his memory. It's still hard some days to turn a corner and remember some time ago when we were all standing there together and then realize that he's been dead for so long."

Alexis pointed at a picture with eight people in it, all standing together as couples. There was one person she didn't recognize standing next to John with his arm around her. "Who is this person?"

"Oh, her? That was Savannah McClintock, a Ravenclaw that was a year behind us. Her and John dated on and off again for a few years. She hung out with us quite a bit. Poor Savannah never quite got used to Jazz's humor though. Or the fact that we all spent so much time together."

"What happened to her?" Alex wondered aloud.

"Well," Harmony sighed, "the year of the Battle of Hogwarts was a bad one. As you probably heard, Billy and I didn't go, but John, Dia, Addy, Jazz and Richard still went and helped out the other kids as much as they could. Savannah's parents sent her back to school but it was really hard on her. The Slytherins were at their worst that year, and the punishments for even small infractions were often outrageous." Harmony looked over at Jazz.

"We tried to watch each other's backs at the school," Jazz took up the story which was more solemn. "But poor Savannah had been out with us after hours and got caught by that idiot Stanton and she was punished, forced to write lines that then appeared on her hands, arms, legs, back and face in scratches and blood. They weren't permanent but still it was a pretty painful thing to go through. I know, I got to write lines at least once a week that year." Jazz absentmindedly rubbed the back of his hand.

"Well," he continued, "that night we went out and found Savannah and she was scared to death because she had on her way down the hallway after the punishment knocked down one of the many statues that had been erected in honor of Deloris Umbridge, and she was terrified she was going to get caught again and hurt more. We could hear a group of Slytherins down the hallway so we all ran to the Room of Requirement to hide and get Savannah called down since she was becoming hysterical. It took almost a half hour to get ready to make a run for it. John and I decided to take her back to the Ravenclaw room and Dia and Richard would make sure we got away okay and meet us back at Gryffindor tower. It gave Dia a little more time to look over some book she found while we waited."

He glanced at Dia and Alexis couldn't help but to look as well. She was shocked to find the woman's face had grown excessively pale; her green eyes staring off into some far away time and place.

"We did make it to the tower but the Slytherins were hot on our trail. To make sure she didn't get punished again I threw down stink bombs and covered her escape. I had to do more lines but that was fine. I probably should have told her my plans because the next day she wouldn't speak to me at all. I think it all was just too much for her. And the next day was…"

Everyone seemed to know what Jazz was inferring, but Alex wasn't sure. The look on her face must have said enough because Harmony looked at her and with a sad smile answered the unasked question.

"The next day was the Battle Of Hogwarts. It's the day Richard died."

Alexis nodded her head in understanding. From the corner of her eye she saw John lean over and pull Dia from her chair, carefully drawing her onto his lap, his arms around her and her head resting on his shoulder for comfort and support. Alexis was surprised again how the feelings seemed so raw to them all when the events had happened over a decade before.

"Anyway," Jazz took a deep breath and sighed, "after that we rarely saw Savannah much. We were still friends with her and all, but she just wasn't able to get beyond what had happened. She was a good person though. She ended up marrying a really nice guy, a muggle ironically, and they live down in London. Every once in a blue moon we'll see her at Diagon Alley, but I think she prefers the ordinary life of a muggle. That's plain daft if you ask me…" Jazz trailed off, looking at the younger twins for a moment.

"I think daddy," Aria said, looking up at her father with a smile, "that the girl just didn't know how to handle you like mommy does!"

"I think you're right sweetie!" The big man said as he reached down and tickled the little girl, then her brother for good measure.

Alexis flipped to earlier in the scrapbook and stopped to look at a picture of Billy up a tree that had a roaring fire at the base. A very young and angry Dia stood at the bottom of the tree with her arms crossed and glaring at Billy who was shouting for help but laughing a little. The others were standing around laughing except for Richard who was pleading with Dia. "What's happening here?"

Harmony laughed. "That was our first camping trip with Richard and Billy right after our first year at Hogwarts. Billy got it into his head that it would be really funny to put spiders in Dia's sleeping bag."

Jazz snickered. "I told you that you were playing with fire Billy!"

Gypsy's face contorted with confusion. "Daddy, why didn't you just turn into a phoenix and fly away?"

"Well honey," Billy stood and looked over Alexis shoulder at the picture and chuckled from the memory, "I had just met your mom and everyone that year, and we hadn't decided to become animagi yet. Although I do have to say that night that Dia treed me was one of the reasons I chose a phoenix as my form. Her go to spell is anything with fire, so it made it easier to save myself whenever Dia was angry. Which back then was a lot." He said with emphasis.

Serenity slowly stood up from Callen's arms and looked up at her dad with a smile.

"I had warned you about Dia's fear of spiders you big dumbass." Jazz guffawed loudly. "Even I wasn't that stupid back then."

Billy rolled his eyes playfully and looked down at the little girl who was now stretching her arms up to him. "You want up baby girl?"

The curly brown haired girl smiled back. "Yes, up dumbass."

The room exploded with laughter. Billy's face broke a wide grin. He pointed a finger at Serenity. "Hey, that's daddy dumbass to you!" Then he picked her up and gave her a kiss on the cheek and tickled her belly to which she giggled.

Alex noticed that across the room, Dia was giggling with laugher and almost slipped off John's lap. She could tell the man was happy once again to see his wife smile.

"Hey Billy!" Dia yelled across the room, "I've figured it out! I just realized Serenity only speaks to animals. You know, Bob, Colonel and you."

Billy gave her a har har and a roll of his eyes, but Alex knew he was laughing too.

"Excuse me…" came a small polite female voice, "may I clarify that statement a little?" Alex looked over to where little Juliette had been sitting with Serenity all night.

Dia smiled at the little golem, and nodded. "Go ahead."

"She says she only speaks to those in the house that seem to need the most explaining as they are not familiar with the way things work in the home. With the exception of Sky and Alex, who seem to have enough people to explain things for them."

Addy giggled, "Well thank you Juliet, I think you may be quite an asset to us."

The little knightly golem bowed and then walked over and sat next to Bob who started beaming like Christmas had come early.

Alex continued to flip through the scrapbook then finally closed it and looked closely at the photo on the cover. It showed the seven of them and from the background she could tell they were standing just outside of Gryffindor tower, with the Fat Lady behind them. They had to be in their first year still. No one stood together as couples, just as a group of friends. Alex watched the picture move a bit as wizarding photos tended to do. The boy Richard was saying something to John as they both turned and smiled for the camera. Harmony was smoothing out her dress and had a beautiful expressive smile. Addison was making Dia unfold her arms and telling her to smile at the camera, both turning to it, Addy's smile genuine, Dia's a little lopsided but still a good one, getting bigger until Dia laughed at Addy poking her in the side with her index finger. Billy smoothed back his blond hair and waved at the camera as Jazz turned and was about to drop a huge multi-legged bug down the back of Billy's shirt as his evil grin told it all.

They looked happy together. Like the world held so much promise, laughter and friendship. The picture had captured the innocents of youth before the hardships of life took it away from their much older selves.

As she set down the book, out of the corner of her eye she caught Callen scribbling in a book then hastily putting it under the pillow he sat on.

"Oh, do you draw like Jackie does?" Alex asked.

With a dismissive laugh he shook his head. "No, that's all Jackie. I just like to take notes. I love to write the stories down so I can remember them later."

With a smile, Alex chuckled, "Maybe someday you can make them into a book."

Callen snorted. "Are you kidding? You've heard some of the stories. Who'd ever believe me that they were true?" The boy returned a knowing smile and chuckled too.

As the night wore on and more stories were told, the children slowly became more and more tired. Yawns often punctuated the air as the parents helped the kids lay down with pillows and blankets to get more comfortable. The youngest twins were the first to drift off, only to have Serenity scream and wake them up again until Juliette was returned to her. Soon it was only the oldest children still trying to fight off sleep.

As John finished telling the story of how Richie, Jackie, Cadence and Melody used to make him act out the same bedtime story for over a year, he tucked in Skylar and then made his way over to Alexis.

"I think it is about time we all got some sleep. Is there anything you need Alexis?" John asked her kindly.

"No sir."

He smiled down at her then leaned over and kissed her forehead. It made her feel so good that she couldn't help but blush. She desperately hoped that her darker skin tone covered up her embarrassment. John moved away and picked up several dirty dishes and garbage and took them to the kitchen. Alex rolled over and looked around the room.

Not too far from the door was Jazz and Harmony cuddled down together under covers, whispering softly to each other. Up at the head of the fire Billy and Addy lay with a sleeping Serenity between them. Billy was propped up on an elbow and with his other hand was stroking her face with love and obvious affection.

Dia tucked in Richard and gave both Alex and Sky a kiss on the forehead too before going to where John had laid out their covers. She set about moving things around and setting other things together. John came back into the room and checked the windows to be sure they were closed and that everything was secure before he went and laid down with his wife. Alexis couldn't help but give a momentary grin as she realized that Addy was right, Dia didn't go to bed until John was with her. She figured she's have to ask her someday why that was, but knew now was not the time. Dia shifted the covers over herself and her husband, laying back into his arms. He grasped her hand that she rested on his chest and squeezed it for a second, hugging her close. The hand he had wrapped around his wife he used to rub her arm and shoulder as she fell slowly off to sleep.

For quite a while afterwards, Alexis lay still, pretending to sleep. Thoughts of the night swirled around in her mind and imagination, and not for the first time that evening, she wondered if she would ever find that special someone who would love her no matter what, be there through the fun times and the bad, and love her like these people loved each other.

Alexis lay quietly and was surrounded by the sleeping family that had taken her in, but she felt so desperately alone inside.

Chapter 13

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

**Alex sat in Defense against the dark art, trying to pay attention to the Professor but her mind kept wondering. She had been on edge about what kind of retaliation the Stanton boys would bring about. They had received a week's worth of detention for the trouble at the Halloween party. Alex was sure they were not going to just let it slide. She wished they would just get it over with. The waiting, looking over her shoulder, was torture! Sky tried to comfort her, and get her to relax, just as everyone else had. It wasn't that they didn't expect some kind of retaliation, but there was no use worrying one's self sick about it. Three weeks had passed, and still nothing. Alex was glad that they would all be leaving for a long weekend at home. Thanksgiving was something she had heard of, but the way Jazz and everyone talked about it, she was sure was going to be an interesting experience.**

**Jackie nudged Alex with her elbow.**

**"Where are you? You look miles away?" Jackie raised one eyebrow at her.**

**"I'm already home." She sighed.**

**"Well you better pay attention now, the Professor is about to set the next assignment." Jackie tapped the closed book in front of Alex. "We'll be home soon enough." Jackie said flatly.**

**The students set to work as soon as the assignment was given. Cadence rolled his eyes as he set to writing. **

**"Trolls. I bet I get top marks on this one, after all Melody is related to them." He laughed a little.**

**"You do realize that if Mel is related to them, so are you?" Richie asked smugly.**

**"Oh...Umm... Well." Cadence stammered.**

**"So we will both get top marks!" Melody giggled, and stuck her tongue out at her brother. They all worked diligently until the bell. As they walked out of class, Alex and Sky noticed one of the other students talking with the professor. In his hand was a small sand colored figure. It looked like a primitive carving of a dog. Alex stopped a few feet from the professor, and quietly listened as the boy told him about it. The teacher examined it a little.**

**"I have heard of something like this. I believe it is a fox. The other thing I seem to recall is that it was tied to a wizard who did have the best morals or judgment, but to give you more information then that I will have to do some research. I think it may be best that I hold onto it." He sat the carving down on his desk. Sky was now standing next to Alex and had been listening. They moved to get a closer look at it.**

**"It looks pretty harmless to me." Alex turned to the professor.**

**"Ahh but looks can be very deceiving. Especially in the wizarding world." he noticed Sky reaching to touch the carving. "I'd be careful, I am not too sure what its purpose is and though I have touched it myself, I wouldn't advise anyone else to do the same. I have spelled myself against many curses, where you have not." At that the professor tuned and hurried into his office.**

**"Hey you two!" Richie called from the door. "Hurry up; we are going to be late for class."**

**Sky's rumbling stomach welcomed lunch eagerly. The morning's classes seemed to drag by, he was eager to return home. The thought of calling somewhere home, and really feeling like it was a home, made him smile. **

** "What is with that silly grin on your face?" Jackie asked.**

** "Heh, I can tell you." Alex smiled slyly from across the lunch table. "He is thinking about home." **

**Jackie gave them a half hearted smile and picked up her sketch book, and was once again lost. Richie eyed her disapprovingly, and sighed.**

** "Hey, does anyone know how we are getting home tonight?" Melody asked.**

** "Nope, no clue." Cadence mumbled his mouth full.**

** "Well let's find out. Here comes Uncle Jazz now." Richie spoke quickly. The big man moved quickly toward the children.**

** "Little Pilgrims and Braves shouldn't eat so much. The big feast comes soon." Jazz said in his mocking Native American voice. **

** "Yeah daddy we know. We were just talking about it."Melody giggled. "You don't happen to know how we are getting home, do you?" **

** "I think that you are all going with Harmony and I. But I will check with her, you all know how much she hates it when I think." Sky and Alex giggled this time. Jazz winked at the children and walk on.**

**The usual banter of lunch time continued. Jackie looked up from her sketch book every now and then as the rest of them carried on. Soon she closed her book and put it in her bag, along with her art quills. As she stood up she bumped Sky's bag, sending it spilling to the ground. She gasped, trying to grab for it. Sky and Richie stooped to pick up the mess. **

** "Jackie are you okay? You seem a little out of it." Sky asked as he stuffed the rest of his belongings in his bag.**

** "She is just being her normal space case self." Richie said as he stood up. "As usual she is dreading the thought of going home." Jackie shot him a look that was knife edge sharp. **

"**So what if I am. At the very least it proves that I can get along just fine without my mommy!" She shot the word at Richie as if they were bullets. They may as well have been. She could see the shock and hurt in his eyes, as she turned on her heals and stormed out of the lunch room. Melody grabbed up her bag and ran after Jackie. **

"**Oh good job Richie." Cadence mumbled.**

"**What, did I say anything that wasn't the truth?" Richie almost shouted at Cadence. "I can get on just fine here; I just worry about my parents."**

"**We all know that but no one throws it in your face, unless you open your fool mouth." Cadence grabbed his rucksack and headed after his sister. Sky and Alex stood in silence, not sure what to say or do. Richie threw his bag over his shoulder and huffed out of the Great Hall. **

**Sky and Alex made their way down the corridor, trying to figure out what just happened. Had they been more aware, they would have noticed the Stanton boys coming toward them. As they passed Damien bumped into Sky.**

"**You should really watch where you are going you disgusting mudblood!" He sneered at Sky. Sky tried to speak, but Damien cut him off.**

"**Why the hell they allow gutter trash like you two to befoul these great halls is beyond me." **

"**Oh one more to add to the list of a million things that are beyond you." Alex said in a matter of fact tone.**

"**You're pretty gutsy, seeing how your freaky friends aren't here to protect you." Damien looked down his nose at her.**

"**Oh don't you worry about us." Sky was just as calm as Alex. "There isn't anything here that scares us in the least. You should on the other hand be worried about your daddy. From what we hear, it is just a matter of time and he will be stocked away in Azkaban. Where he belongs." Damien pulled his wand out and pressed it to Sky's throat. Alex was torn. She wanted to stay and defend her friend, but she knew that if she did they would all get into trouble.**

**So following her better judgment she turned and ran to find the nearest teacher. **

**Damien held Sky there in the middle of the hall. Devon was now circling the two of them like a vulture. **

"**You have no right to speak of any of my family. You are the dirt and fodder we walk on!" Damien growled. "And look at you. You were pulled from the gutter, by the biggest family of freaks there are. Not much of a step up there." Devon now stood behind Sky. **

"**I would take more pride in being the son of a mudblood whore then a part of that freak show." Devon cackled loudly. Sky gritted his teeth. Knowing it wasn't a good idea, but he had to do something to buy some time until Alex returned. Slowly the words hissed from his mouth.**

"**Well then, it is good to know that you take pride in your mother like that. Though I don't think she would appreciate being called mudblood."**

**Just as Devon pulled his wand out and started to utter the words of some curse, a voice boomed down the hall.**

"**That is more than enough boys." Hagrid, walked calmly down the hall. Alex had to almost run to keep up with the large man. The Stanton boys pulled their wands back quickly. Sky let out the breath he had been holding with a whoosh. **

"**This is far from over." Damien said under his breath as he stepped away. **

"**I suggest that you boys be on your way. Or should we take this up with the head mistress?" Hagrid looked at the boys with curiosity.**

"**No professor. We will be on our way." Devon grabbed his half brother by the arm and pulled him down the hall.**

"**Are you okay boy? Hagrid asked as he ran his hand though his gray beard.**

"**I am fine. Just a little shaken." Sky voice was a bit shaky.**

"**Addy asked me to keep an eye on all of you; I must say she makes the best tea and cakes." The large man looked down at the children. "I think we should be heading to Minerva's office, just to keep her up to date on things."**

**Alex couldn't help but look at the big man in awe. After seeing the photo's hanging in the hallway at home, she realized how special this man was to her new family. His hair was now white, and the cracked leather look to his skin still couldn't hide who he was. His eye held the same kindness that it did in the photos. It was the same kindness she saw in all the adults she now thought of as parents.**

"**Did Addy come visit you Professor?" Alex asked the man, in hopes of changing the subject. She remembered the adults say that sometimes it was pretty easy to sway the man's train of thought.**

"**No Miss Alex, I was on my regular visit. I stop by once or twice a month. With Professor Whitehorse living there, it is just a good idea. He loves strange and unusual creatures, it is in his nature. I have often wondered why he didn't try for my position. It would have suited him well."**

"**Well that is a silly question Professor." Sky said quietly, but in a more steady voice. "How could he, when you do such a wonderful job. Besides Jazz doesn't have the attention span to take care of so many creatures, for such a long time."**

"**Yes I know, my visits with Addy are quite often of that nature." Hagrid chuckled. **

"**Professor, we must be going now or we are going to be late for class." Alex said politely.**

"**Oh well yes, don't want you to be late. Do me a favor though and stay out of those boys path. Minerva will not be happy with me if she finds out there was trouble, and I didn't tell her, but Dia will be irate!" The huge man winked at the two children. Sky and Alex smiled slyly at him, knowing he had caught on.**

"**We will professor." Sky answered. "We have seen Dia upset too, and we don't care for it much either. Thank you so much for your help." Sky and Alex hurried off to class, exchanging smiles and sighs of relief.**

**Potions class was a welcome sight. It meant the long day was over, and dinner would be soon. Jackie had finally given in and was talking to Richie again. **

"**I feel really bad you know. I can't help but think what would have happened if Hagrid had not been on his way to see Uncle Jazz."**

"**I know, and I am sorry too Jackie." Richie whispered as he stirred his cauldron. **

"**Your mother would have hung us by our toes if she ever found out we left them. Much worse if they had been harmed." Jackie was in a funk. She loved her family, and would do anything for them. She just didn't understand why she couldn't be happy when they were all together.**

"**Look Jackie." Cadence added. "Everyone makes mistakes. Point in fact, my dad! But for some reason Aunt Dia has let him continue to live." This made Jackie smile a little, but she couldn't help feeling like the incident in the hall wasn't the last they would hear from those awful boys today.**

"**Hey does anyone have an extra quill? I can't seem to find mine." Melody asked as she searched though her book bag.**

"**I think I might." Sky reached for his bag. Just as he started to pull it up the handle snapped, and the contents went spilling out.**

"**And what do we have here." Devon's smug voice was like nails on a chalkboard. He stooped down and picked up a small stone fox. "Isn't this the fox from Defense Against the Dark Arts?" He announced it loudly enough for the whole class to hear.**

**Professor Nadis hurried over. Her overly pointed black pumps clicked as she walked. She was a very posh looking woman, that is from the neck down. From the neck up she looked like some kind of buzzard or vulture. The bright red lipstick she wore made her look as though she had just been feasting on a very fresh carcass.**

"**May I see that." she asked in an all too polite voice. She examined the object. "Where did you get this?" She narrowed her eyes as she asked Sky.**

"**Umm, I, well." Sky stammered.**

"**I see, so you took it!" She snapped at the boy.**

"**No Professor, I didn't. I did see it in Professor V's class, but I didn't take it." Sky's voice didn't falter.**

"**Then tell me how it ended up in your bag?" Professor Nadis reached up and grabbed Sky by the ear. "Tell me! How did it end up in your bag?" Sky yelped in pain.**

"**I don't know Professor. I just know I didn't take it!" He yelled at her. Devon watched with a smirk on his face. Jackie wanted to walk over and rip it off.**

"**The rest of you clean up your stations and leave a sample of your potion on my desk. I will grade them tonight. I am taking this little thief to the Head Mistress's office. You may leave once the bell dismisses you." She pulled Sky out of the classroom. Richie was sure he would be missing an ear the next time he saw him.**

**Alex, Jackie, Melody, Richie and Cadence all hurried about. They were determined to be the first out of the class room. They didn't even have to speak to know where they were all heading.**

_Emergency!_ Richie's finger was on his bracelet as he ran down the hallway trying to find the Gargoyle that had the hidden staircase to the Headmistresses office behind it. _Sky and Alex are in trouble! Going to be expelled and they didn't do it!_

Only a step behind, Richie could hear Jackie's breath as she ran. He knew the look on her face mirrored his, panic.

His bracelet buzzed back but it was a cacophony of words all mashed together as every member of the household tried to reply at the same time. In the back of his mind, a calm voice thoughtfully wondered if they should have some kind of hierarchy for emergencies and who responds first.

He touched the bracelet but couldn't get a word in edgewise. Suddenly Jackie grabbed him from behind and stopped him cold. He looked at her outstretched hand that pointed to the gargoyle. It was moved aside and he could see the stone stairwell behind.

"She probably guessed we'd be coming." Jackie said while trying to catch her breath.

"We better get in there…" Richie said, trying to suck up all the courage he had. He'd never been in Great Auntie McGonagall's office before. And with the circumstances so dire…

He glanced at his bracelet again but it was still filled with random letters. He figured someone would resolve it and be on their way soon, he just hoped it was real soon. He looked up at Jackie who just shrugged.

Richie nodded to Jackie and they stepped onto the stone stairs which started moving upwards in a spiral. When it came to a stop at the top, they both apprehensively walked to the huge polished oak door of the office with its huge brass knocker in the shape of a griffin. The door was ajar.

From inside he heard a commanding female voice. "Well, come on in. You are expected."

Slowly Richie opened the door farther and the two of them stepped in. The office was a huge circular room with different stands, shelves and bookcases everywhere. There were windows on the side, but the curtains had been pulled. The rest of the walls were covered with portraits of the past Head Wizards and Witches.

At the end of the room was an enormous claw footed desk. On their side sat Skylar and Alexis in chairs that made them look even smaller than they really were. Both were pale and not speaking. On the far side stood a very cross Headmistress. She was staring down at an object on the desk, but as Richie and Jackie entered, she looked up and caught them in a very hawk-like stare. Involuntarily, Richie gulped.

"I assumed where one of you went, the others would follow." She spoke in a morose tone. "Do you have anything useful to add to the situation?"

"Um," Richie was trying to think fast and furiously. "They didn't do it."

"And you have evidence of this?"

"Ah, well, depends on what you mean by evidence…" Richie's words stumbled out of his mouth and instantly even he knew how stupid they sounded.

"Evidence. As in some hard fact that proves that Mr. Todd here didn't steal this object, and that Miss Parker didn't help him do it."

"They couldn't have stole anything. We'd know about it." Richie blurted out defensively.

"Oh, they tell you everything they do wrong?"

"Yes. I mean no. I mean they don't do anything wrong so they wouldn't have anything to tell me, and we tell each other everything like that. And stuff." Richie wanted to slap himself. From the sigh that he heard next to him it sounded like Jackie wanted to also.

"Ma'am," Jackie interrupted before Richie could spew out anything else idiotically, "they were with us in every class. We often get into each other's bags to grab books and stuff. We would have noticed if anything different was in there. And besides, if they supposedly stole something from the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, don't you think they would have stowed it away during a break or lunch? Why would they keep it on their persons which could get them caught?"

"So you are suggesting innocents by ignorance on how to steal properly? Is that your defense?" McGonagall was looking down her nose at them both, her eyes going from Richie to Jackie and back again.

He could tell Jackie was searching desperately for something else to say when he heard footsteps and whispers outside the large oak door. He knew immediately it was Melody and Cadence. Richie turned just as the twins came rushing through the door.

"They didn't do it!" The two shouted together.

"So I've heard." McGonagall sighed. "But do either of you have any proof of it?"

"How do we prove something they didn't do? Don't you have to do it first? Then prove it? How can we have proof of nothing?" Melody asked.

"Yeah, what she said." Cadence added.

"Did either one of you see Miss Parker or Mr. Todd with the item in their hands or backpacks?"

"Depends…" Melody said with confidence.

"On…?" The headmistress prompted.

"On what the object is." Cadence finished. "All we saw them with were their books and quills and stuff. Nothing unusual."

"What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty?" The deep voice boomed into the room from the open doorway. Richie's heart about exploded as he heard Jazz enter the room and stride confidently up to the desk.

"Mr. Whitehorse," McGonagall said with a firm voice that hid a sigh, "there are witnesses to the theft. Miss Parker was touching it right before it was found missing from Mr. Venkataramana's desk. And just a few minutes ago it was found in Mr. Todd's book bag. How would you like to explain this? As a coincidence? Several students noticed that both children were greatly interested in the object. Do you think it took a liking to them and just jumped into Mr. Todd's bag?"

"Well if it is magical it just might have." Jazz scowled. Something was rustling under his black robe and without taking his glare from the headmistress Jazz pulled it out and plopped it on the desk and continued as if it were nothing more than a book. "But it could have been stolen from anyone and planted on the boy at any time during the day. I know these kids, they didn't do it."

"That seems to be the consensus so far, but with no evidence to support that theory." Finally McGonagall couldn't help but glance at the new inhabitant of her desk.

Richie had to look around the large man's body to get a good look. It took him a few seconds to realize what it was. Jazz had set down a young grinning Clabbert on her very important looking papers.

A Clabbert is an arboreal creature that resembles a cross between a monkey and a frog. It had smooth mottled green skin, short horns, long arms with webbed hands and feet. The huge grin slipped somewhat from its wide mouth and the pustule flashed a little red, indicating that it sensed danger. It looked from Jazz to McGonagall, then to all the kids in confusion. The headmistress swiped the papers out from under its butt which made the creature jump to the side a foot or so, but it didn't leave the desk.

In a different situation, Richie would have asked what he was doing with such an odd creature. But the thought was interrupted as Harmony came running into the room holding a hand of each of the younger twins, Aria and Jubilee. They each had a bag in their other hands from a store in Hogsmeade called Dervish & Banges. Richie knew they sold magical equipment and instruments but he resisted the urge to look into the bags the kids dropped as soon as Harmony came to a halt in front of the huge desk.

"I demand to know what's going on! These children are innocent I guarantee it!"

McGonagall's face was growing ever more weary. "As I've explained to the others, I need more that just words to substantiate that particular claim, especially since they were caught with the goods." She narrowed her eyes at Harmony. "Unless you are going to tell me you saw it all in a crystal ball."

"Maybe I did, huh? What about that?" Harmony said dismissively.

"It still isn't the stunning proof I'm looking for."

"Mommy," Aria tugged at Harmony's robe, "is Alex and Sky going to Azkaban?"

Jubilee's lip started to quiver. "Isn't that the wizard's prison? Don't send them there! I'm sure they are sorry!"

"They aren't going to be sent to any prison," McGonagall stated firmly.

"Then is this about everyone coming to dinner? It will be Sky's and Alex's first Thanksgiving!" Jubilee used his sleeve to wipe his eyes and then nose on.

"Yeah," Aria agreed, her face brightening, "their first! They get to choose which side they are on! The invaders or the natives!"

"This isn't about going to any dinner tonight. It is business for mature adults." The headmistress said stiffly.

"When are some of those gonna get here then so we can go?" Aria asked with a tilt of her head.

"Mrs. McGonagall," Richie immediately recognized his dad's voice coming from behind, "why are you holding our kids, they haven't done anything wrong."

From under her breath, Richie heard the woman answer the little girl. "Apparently Aria, not anytime soon." She took a deep calming breath and looked up at Richie's father as he entered the room with Ember, Gypsy, Colonel and Bob in tow. Bob was riding the large dog and was dressed in a huge Colonial dress, white wig and all. As they approached the desk Bob lifted his wig and made a small bow to the headmistress.

Her eyes went from the small gnome to the large bundle that John put down at his feet that immediately started squirming. Ember started taking off her gloves and hat and Gypsy immediately started to do the same. The huge German Sheppard started pawing at the bundle and whining.

"Who is accusing them of what?" John demanded, leaning on the desk with his fists and staring intently at the older woman.

"Mr. McPherson, as I was telling the others, Mr. Venkataramana-"

"Mr. Who?" John asked.

"The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Mr. Srinivasan Venkataramana-"

"What happened to Mr. Barlow?" John burst out.

"He's been gone for years. Since then we've had six different instructors. You know it's always been an issue keeping a good instructor for that class. Mr. Srinivasan Venkataramana was kind enough to take the position-"

"So this Mr. Sirn- ah Venkak, Vemkat, Vetmak, ah hell, Mr. Vonkempt starts to accuse my kids of wrongdoing? I want to see him right now." John demanded.

"He will be here shortly, assuming there is any room left in this office to fit him…" McGonagall replied with more than a touch of irritation. She opened her mouth to say more but at that moment Colonel got the wrappings off the burlap bag at John's feet and a gigantic turkey popped out of the bag and started gobbling for a second before Colonel leapt at it to which is started screaming and rushed around the large desk for escape.

Ember and Gypsy looked up from the Dervish & Banges bags they were getting into and watched the turkey run around the far side of the desk with Colonel barking incessantly at it. Bob had decided to hold on for dear life. The girls started laughing and clapping with only the exclamation from Ember "Don't hurt Tom now Colonel. He's the guest of honor tonight!"

He couldn't help it, Richie had to ask, "You named the turkey? Both of you know he is going to be cooked and eaten tonight, right?"

Immediately he realized this was the wrong thing to say. Both little girls started screaming and crying, and the other two young twins quickly joined in.

"Daddy! We aren't going to eat Tom, right? He's our friend!" Ember implored her dad, running over and grabbing his leg.

"Warden, please don't kill Tom! He didn't do anything wrong either!" Gypsy dropped the sneakoscope she had fished out of the bag on the floor and ran to John as well, tugging on his robe. The sneakoscope broke and started whirling and making beeping and hissing noises as it spun around the floor forgotten.

The turkey decided that the desk seemed to be a better place to hide and beat its wings furiously to get enough lift to land on the desk, startling the Clabbert. The strange monkey-frog's red pustule flashed a little harder and the smile slipped completely off its face as it quite suddenly found itself face to face with a terrified turkey. The dog made a circuit around the table, sizing up the situation.

"Calm down you two," John said, catching the little girls hands before they managed to pull his wizard robe completely off, "we won't cook Tom if it means that much to you, okay? But you have to stop the water works and catch him up before Colonel has him for dinner instead."

For a moment John frowned at Richie who shrugged and mouthed the words "Sorry" to his dad.

"If we can settle down and get back to the subject at hand-" McGonagall's voice was raised above the noise. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at the screeching sneakoscope just as Colonel decided the direct approach was best and bounded onto the desk sending both the turkey and the Clabbert running for their lives. Jazz had been trying to comfort Sky but looked up in time to get the Clabbert ramming him in the face. The turkey decided that it wanted a higher perch and John was the tallest thing around so it flapped furiously and landed partly on his shoulder and partly on his head. John immediately tried to dislodge the bird, stepping backwards and thumping into Harmony.

Colonel went for the escaping bird and jumped on John as well, catching a mouth full of tail feathers as the bird discovered the open door and made a bid for freedom.

Billy was just stepping into the room with Callen on his heels, wearing a new pair of shoes and holding his old ones that had, from their appearance, been chewed up by a large dog.

"I'm here to help prove that Alex and Sky aren't-" Billy didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as the face full of panicked poultry stopped him in his stride. "What the hell?" He stammered, throwing the turkey back into the room and trying to wipe feathers out of his face and mouth. "I usually prefer my turkeys cooked thoroughly before I eat them. Why is that thing still alive?"

All the younger children started screaming and crying, begging for Tom to be allowed to live. Billy stood there stunned, trying to figure out what was going on.

Above the noise John shouted, "Billy, we're not killing Tom," in an attempt to quiet the little children.

"Tom Dubois? The muggle mail man on our block? Why would we kill him? Is he still refusing to deliver muggle mail to us after that unfortunate Dogbrush shrub incident? How was I supposed to know it would attack him? I don't see why we need to give him a stay of execution…"

"No daddy," Gypsy called to him, "Tom is our turkey. And we love him."

"Rrrriiiiggghhhhtttt…" Billy said, looking at Harmony and shaking his head and spreading his hands at her in confusion. Harmony managed to get the two younger twins quieted down and wiped their faces.

Billy pulled out his wand and zapped the sneakoscope, instantly repairing it. It stopped its incessant shrieking, but a moment later it started humming and whirling in a low tone signaling someone or something untrustworthy was around.

As John got Ember and Gypsy to quiet down again, the turkey decided that his robe looked to be a great place to hide. Colonel was once again hot on its tail and as the large tom slipped between John's legs, he realized he had an opening. The dog tried to dart through as well but John closed his knees around the Sheppard and trapped him. The dog looked up and John waggled a finger at him. "No. Sit."

Richie could have sworn the dog frowned at his dad but he did as he was told. The dog sat immediately but softly whined and mumbled as it stared at the turkey that dove under the desk for cover.

Harmony reached down and picked up the sneakoscope, puzzled as to why it was making noise.

With a rocking motion of his arms, Jazz had quieted the Clabbert down like he was soothing a crying baby. He looked at the sneakoscope too.

"Honey, if I didn't know any better," Harmony smirked at him, "I'd say that this device thinks you're untrustworthy." She held it a little closer to him and it gave a slightly louder whirling noise.

He just scowled at the device in return.

"Now that we've all calmed down," McGonagall tried to reassert her voice over the others, "I would-" Her words were drowned out by a loud ear piercing scream.

Richie knew who that screech belonged to. He covered his ears and turned once again to the door as Addison strode in holding the screaming Serenity. The baby stopped her high pitched shriek and looked about, seemingly pleased that everyone had stopped to look at her.

"Am I too late to this particular party?" Addy asked as she looked around.

"Please come in." McGonagall said politely to her, but then added "as long as you just don't blurt out 'they are innocent' with nothing to back it up."

"Actually I was interested in the facts so we can get to the bottom of this. But I will say that what little information I've received, I can't believe it was our Alex and Sky."

The elderly woman opened her mouth but Serenity let out a squeal again that caused everyone to cringe once more.

As Richie covered his ears in protection, his eyes landed on a small clock in the far corner of the room. It had three wrought iron hands and tendrils of sand pulsated through the face with delicately etched numbers on it. With a start, Richie realized it was the clock they had been looking for. His heart seized for a moment. The clock was real, and in the headmistress's office.

With a glance to Jackie, he caught her attention then looked back at the clock. He knew she would follow his eye line. When he looked back at her, she nodded to him; she had seen it.

With a huge intake of air, Serenity got ready to squeal again, but John cut her off. "Okay you little howler monkey, do that again and Juliette stays with me the rest of the evening."

With a look of defiance, Serenity grasped the little golem that was sitting on her mother's shoulder and gave her a big squeeze, but didn't scream again.

Bob slid down the dog's back and walked over to stand at Addy's feet. He lifted his arms up in the air. "Me need Juliette!"

The little golem pulled slightly away from Serenity to look down over Addy's arms.

With a sly smile, Richie looked at Ember and Gypsy. "You guys need to teach him to say 'what light through yonder window breaks!'"

Gypsy frowned. "Mommy would be mad if Bob broke windows."

He opened his mouth to respond but the headmistress forcibly cleared her throat. His mouth clicked shut.

The Clabbert once again grew anxious in Jazz's arms, the red light on its forehead flashing a violent red warning of approaching danger.

"Now that most of you are here-" she started but glared at Serenity who had drawn a large breath to scream again. Instead the room reverberated with a crescendo of a roar.

John smiled at the elder woman. "Now we are all here Headmistress."

Outside the darkened window came the sound of monstrous wings beating the air. With a blast of wind and fire, the window burst open, flinging back the drawn curtains. A massive eye peered in through the window, taking stock of the room.

With a wave, Richie smiled. "Hi mom. The stairwell is open for you to come on in."

With a snort and a blowing of dense smoke, the dragon's eye disappeared from the window. McGonagall walked carefully over to the window and closed it again, drawing the curtains back into place.

Harmony tried to place the sneakoscope on the desktop but it whirled and whistled when it got close to the object.

The turkey gobbled from under the desk. The Clabbert, to Jazz's dismay, wet itself in his arms.

Smoke billowed in through the doorway and for a brief moment the entryway was lit with fire and a shadowy form of a rapidly shrinking dragon. It went suddenly dark and the tall red headed figure of his mother strode through the door, sweeping the room with a glance. Her eyes settled on Alex and Sky for a second longer than the others, then to the desk where the object sat mute but the sneakoscope whirling in alarm. Finally as she made her way to the desk, the others parted and let her through. She came to a standstill opposite the desk, her eyes locked with McGonagall's.

"Tell me the course of events as you have heard them please." She said simply.

As McGonagall gathered her thoughts, Colonel whined lowly and licked his lips, his ears perked once more at the turkey under the desk. Dia glanced down at the dog which stopped immediately as it caught her look. Richie would have sworn on his life that the dog gulped.

The sneakoscope whirled louder. Dia zapped it with a fast draw of her wand. It lay quiet on the desktop, dead. Dia replaced her wand and looked up at McGonagall, waiting for her to proceed.

"This morning in the first year Defense Against The Dark Arts class, a student named Pinky Smith gave Mr. Venkataramana, our new instructor, an object. It looked to be of very dark magic and the boy claimed his older brother had sent it to him to find out more about it. Mr. Smith and another student, Mr. Wesson, said they saw both Mr. Todd and Miss Parker near the object when the bell rang."

"Smith and Wesson? Really? Were the Winchester boys not available?" Billy snickered, but the look from the headmistress cut him off.

"As the students were leaving class," she went on as if she hadn't been interrupted, "Mr. Smith stated he saw Miss Parker touching the object again."

Tom the turkey gobbled loudly from under the table, seeming to loudly disagree with the statement.

"It was later in first year potions class that Mr. Todd opened his book bag to get out his book, and the object fell out and rolled onto the floor. Several students recognized it from the DATDA class and let Mr. Slughorn know. Slughorn contacted Mr. Venkataramana who said that, indeed, the artifact had come up missing that very morning from his desk. That is when both Mr. Todd and Miss Parker were sent to me." She finished with a look around the room. "That's when the circus came into town."

There was a moment of silence as Dia digested the information. She turned to look at Alex and Skylar but Richie couldn't hold it in any longer.

"They didn't do it! I saw them sorting their books earlier at lunch and that object wasn't in the bag, I would have seen it!" It took Richie a moment to realize no one had heard him since Jackie, Melody and Cadence had started talking at the same time.

From behind, Bob started wailing for Juliette.

As Juliette started to make the move to get down, Serenity started howling again, refusing to let her get away.

Tom's gobbles punctuated the air and he started to move out from behind the desk. Colonel, seeing this, started barking. The Clabbert, startled by the barking, leapt from Jazz's arms again and sailed around the room and stopped up on a high shelf with several expensive and highly breakable looking antiques in the cabinet below him.

As Ember moved to get closer to Colonel she accidently kicked over one of the bags from Dervish & Banges, sending a large canister rolling out. When it hit the wall, it burst open. Out poured what seemed to be at least fifty frogs with a top hat and cane. They all gave a hearty "CROAK!" then jumped up on their hind legs and started singing and dancing, spreading out around the room.

"Hello my baby, hello my honey, hello my rag time gal…"

The smaller children all squealed and clapped their hands in delight.

McGonagall folded her arms and sighed.

"I would like to suggest I speak to you alone Professor McGonagall." Dia said barely loud enough for Richie to overhear with all the racket.

"That would be greatly appreciated." The headmistress replied. "Everyone may go back to their dorms until this is sorted out to everyone's satisfaction."

At that, Jazz roared to life. "They can't! It's Thanksgiving! We have a dinner and invasion to get to!"

"Yeah," John added with one of his most winning smiles, "we were really hoping that the kids could all come back with us. If fact, you can come too, Headmistress, if you like. We are planning a feast. One that is now without a turkey, but a feast nonetheless."

"No worries about the turkey John." Addy said from behind, still holding a squirming and screaming Serenity. "One of the turkey's long lost cousins had a heart attack right outside our back door and it is in the oven right now."

John gave her a quizzical look.

"Gypsy sent me a message saying you three had picked out a live turkey and the two of them had named it Tom. I figured on plan B."

"Good think you had a plan B." John smiled.

"Are you kidding? With this family I always have a plan B. And C. And D. And often E just to be on the safe side."

The frogs started on yet another round of the same song. "Hello my baby…"

"As kind as the offer is Mr. McPherson," McGonagall cut in before the conversation went too far off topic, "I would like to decline. But I see no problem with these students going home with everyone here immediately for some time off with family."

Alexis spoke in barely a whisper, "Do we need to pack our stuff?" It was the first words either Skylar or Alexis has spoken since he had arrived.

McGonagall looked to Dia then back to the two seated before the desk. "No my dear. Just go along with your family and have a good time."

With a gentle touch to Dia's arm, John asked her, "Should I stay for a while? I'd like to talk to this Mr. Vakl… Vampr… Valdez, oh hell, Mr. VerQuackin about this issue."

"No honey, that won't be necessary." She said with a small smile, and with the fingers of her other hand, she gently squeezed his hand before he let go. "Take the zoo home and get everyone settled. But we do need to discuss over dinner tonight how we are going to handle emergency situations like this from now on."

"I, for one, would be grateful." McGonagall said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Fantastic!" Jazz yelled out, "Everyone, we're off to land on Plymouth Rock!"

The children ran around and caught up the frogs, putting them back into the canister. Jazz fetched the Clabbert off the top of the cabinet and Callen took Serenity, Juliette and Bob in his arms to keep them quieter.

Melody and Jackie took Alex and Sky's arms and headed for the door. Ember patted Colonel on the head and he obediently fell into step next to her, but suddenly she stopped and nudged Gypsy. Richie knew immediately they had seen the clock.

"See you at home mom." Richie said and bolted for the door, right behind Jackie.

John caught up Tom the turkey and got him back in the bag, stopped and kissed his wife, then left following everyone else out. They all trouped down the stairs and into the hallway where Addy started arraigning for everyone to be with partners for the trip home.

Ember edged closer to Richie and tugged at his shirt to get his attention. "Hey, did you see it?"

"See what Ember." He replied, not looking down at the little red head.

"The clock you dope. I saw a clock!"

"Good for you Em. Think you can find a picture frame next?"

With a swift movement she kicked him in the ankle.

"Ow, that hurt Em!" He said loudly to her. It got his father's attention.

John walked over and picked up Ember into his arms. "Come on my little firebug, let's get home. I'm sure everyone is just a little grumpy from needing food." He winked at Richie.

As they all started down the hall, Richie decided then and there he was going to annoy Ember about this all night long.

The house smelled wonderful to Jackie as she inhaled the various scents of roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, and even a honey glazed ham for Auntie Dia who wasn't too fond of turkey. She loved the fact that they celebrated all the holidays from America as well as those of their own country, Ireland and Scotland included. She had thought Uncle Jazz had been joking about having to dress up though, but apparently not.

The Whitehorse family made its way into the dining room with war whoops, drums, chanting and dancing, well all but Harmony who just walked in and smiled. She was also wearing traditional Native American garb, but it really didn't go well with her long platinum blond hair.

Her own family was dressed up as stereotypical pilgrims, black and white outfits and really uncomfortable shoes. Jackie was already messing with the uncomfortable bonnet. She smiled at her dad who was helping bring out the last of the feast, his black brimmed hat barely staying on his head as he moved about. He also had what looked like a rather cartoonishly large cross hanging from his neck and a leather Bible in his hand that he managed to drop in the gravy twice. She thought back to the half hour long conversation on the subject of the costumes and Billy showed her a picture he was modeling himself after. It seemed obvious to her that the wizard who drew the picture was trying to make fun of the absurd way of life the muggles were living but she couldn't seem to convince her dad of it otherwise.

Gypsy tried to take off her black bonnet again but her mom wiggled her finger at her. The little girl's hair went a very dark shade of blue. She sat next to Sky who also wore a pilgrims outfit and smiled back at the little girl. The boy reached around and pulled Bob's high chair close to Gypsy and helped her sit the little gnome in it. Jackie blinked twice as she looked at Bob's pilgrim gown that had a very large letter A embroidered in red on the front. Sky looked at Jackie, somehow sensing the disapproval.

"Bob didn't like how plain the dress was," Skylar said sheepishly, "so I did the A to make him feel better. And if you are wondering, no, I didn't explain it. It now stands for awesome."

Jackie just rolled her eyes and sighed. She really wanted to draw but her mom had asked her not to do that at dinner tonight. She didn't see why…

At that moment, John burst through the door dressed up as, what Jackie surmised, was the explorer John Smith. He was wearing buckskin britches and a flouncy white shirt and held a musket aloft. Richie came through the door dressed similarly, as did Ember. Apparently John had lost the fight to make Ember wear a dress.

Alexis came in a moment later, more hesitant and embarrassed. She wore a French dress of the times since it was decided that she was not to be anybody's slave, and the French already were on their way to the Americas to lay claim besides. Jackie thought she looked marvelous.

Richie looked more like a wild mountain man than an explorer with the beaver skins hanging from a thong from his leather belt. Both had their hair, which was a touch long to start with, longer and tied back in a pony tail with a thin strap. Ember's red hair was also in a ponytail and at her side was Colonel who looked more wolf like than normal.

With a flourish Jazz raised his arms above the table. "To our surly invaders who couldn't figure out how to survive the winter in our lands if their lives depended on it. Um, which they do. We of the Native American civilization welcome you to this bounty we have prepared in the name of peace and the ability to have as many casinos as we wish later on after you run us all off our lands, kill us with your diseases, and make us watch Dances With Wolves too many times. And I still say those were not real Indians that John Wayne fought in any of his films."

Spinning the rifle, John put his musket to his side. "And we, the exploring nation that will eventually fill your casinos with our money, thank you for your bountiful harvest. We promise that after we kill most of your people and trap you on desolate tracks of land, that we will make many amazing works of art depicting your culture and dress even though you will wear whatever is in style as we do. There will be many documentaries and you will be the only ones who will eventually get to have the coolest fireworks for sale."

From the far corner Tom the turkey made loud gobbling noises as it pecked at the bird seed in the bowl at its feet. Colonel spied it and licked his lips.

With a smile, John looked down at the dog. "Not yet Colonel. Feast now. We'll attack later."

"Sneaky Europeans… I heard that." Jazz said with a wiry look.

"Yeah, but I didn't use sign language, so you didn't understand it." John joked back, earning a hearty laugh from Jazz.

"So, my friends," Jazz stated loudly, using the biggest, most ludicrous hand and arm gestures, continued. "Let us sit and eat this delicious feast that I have prepared."

"You prepared!" Addy snapped, smacking Jazz on the back of the head, making his head dress shift, "I don't remember seeing YOU in the kitchen."

"Would you like to next time?"

"Um, no." Addy conceded, then set down the roasted turkey to the center of the table. "Who's going to carve the turkey?" she asked.

Tom gobble gobbled furiously from the back of the room. Addy turned to look at him. "Sorry Tom. Not you." As she turned back, she added under her breath, "this time."

Jackie snuck a sideways look at Ember then Gypsy but neither had heard her mom's comment. They were too busy watching John and Jazz acting like they were sizing each other up for a fight.

Billy raised his hands. "For the good of the peace between our respective nations and that of the gods almightily that we believe in because we are too stupid to think for ourselves, I will in gods's name-"

"Honey, the pilgrims believed in only one god." Addy corrected Billy.

"Yeah, but the natives believed in many gods. Shouldn't we honor them too?"

"The puritans were so convinced their ways and their god was the only way that they would have never admitted to even considering honoring any false gods."

"Oh, um, okay…" Billy stammered for a moment, but then continued, "in my god, and only my god's name, I hereby will carve this…" he glanced over at the huge bird, "…this fat and juicy butterball for us all. Please will all Indians-"

"Native Americans. We were here before you were." Jazz corrected.

With a sigh, Billy went on. "Native Americans please find a seat around the table? You do use chairs, right? At least you are for this pow wow."

"Billy," Jazz sighed, "you're an idiot."

"So I've been told." He looked around and saw Serenity about to throw her spoon at one of the younger twins. "Honey, don't. Wait, where's Juliette?"

"Oh, I have her." Alex said and produced the little golem. "I decided I may be French but I am starting to practice Voodoo. She is my voodoo doll. See?"

Jackie looked at the little golem who was wearing pants, a shirt and brown hair with several pins sticking out of her back. Juliette didn't seem to mind though. There was a little nametag that she couldn't read.

Bob glared at her from across the table, folding his arms and scowling.

"Gypsy," Sky turned to the little girl, "Can Alex sit between us so that Juliette can sit next to Bob but still be part of her costume?"

The little six year old giggled. "Okay."

Her mom came over with an identical seat to Bob's and sat it next the little potato man. She then swirled her wand in the air and produced another chair for Alex to use.

As Alex, and everyone else, took their seats, Billy looked around. "Do we start without Dia?" He looked to his wife.

"She did text a few minutes ago and said everything was sorted out and taken care of. Alex and Sky were no longer in trouble and she would be home shortly." Addy said, "I kinda thought she would be here by now."

John, who had just sat down, shot to his feet again. "You think I should go looking for her?" His hand moved to his wrist and the bracelet.

"No need ya blaggart!" Dia threw the dining room door open, sending it off its hinges. She glanced at it momentarily then with a flick of her wand the door jumped back up into its place, repaired. "Avast ye! I've keelhauled all the filthy swine that stood in me way and am here ta take me place with all ye landlubbers!" She was dressed as a pirate and held gold, ruby and pearl chains and necklaces in her hand which she promptly threw onto the table. "I'll split the booty if one of ya freebooters will give up their seat before I put a bounty on yer heads!"

Bob immediately grabbed for the jewelry.

With a smooth smile and a quick step, John grabbed his wife's waist, twisting her around till she lay in his arms suspended above the ground. "Well fair maiden, you can sit with me and my kin and dine with the savages. Oh, and the adults too."

He leaned down to kiss her but she smacked him lightly instead. "Sir! Unhand me you scurvy bilgerat! I saw how you plundered all the doughnuts this morning at reveille and I am still burning mad at ye!" She grabbed a hold of his shoulders and righted herself, glaring at him.

"Oh, come on, I said I was sorry honey!" John whined as he followed his wife around the table to sit.

"And you will be… later tonight when ye tries to sleep in your sack!" She growled and thumped down in the chair next to Richie. She gave the boy a firm "Arrrg!" as John took his seat next to Dia with Ember on his other side.

"Now to cut the-" Billy thought for a second, "huge poultry that gave its life so that we can live. Or something like that."

"Wait!" Harmony shouted out, holding up her hand.

Everyone turned to look at her.

We have to go around the table and say what we are thankful for!" she said smiling.

Jackie heard several groans and figured most of them were from her own father and Auntie Dia.

"I'll start." Harmony said. "I'm thankful for Alexis and Skylar joining our family and that Dia was able to get the whole thing straightened out. I'm also thankful that my loving husband gave back the Clabbert to Hagrid before we left Hogwarts tonight. I didn't think the poor creature would have appreciated being Pocahontas tonight."

That's why he had that thing, thought Jackie, but kept it to herself. From the looks around the table, everyone else was having the same thought.

"Now," Harmony said, turning to Aria who sat on her right side, "your turn. And no one can reuse something that someone else has already said."

"Okay mommy." Aria said. With a smile on her face she could tell her mom had already coached her on something to say which Jackie was also grateful for or the food would be cold by the time the younger twins thought of something to say themselves. "I'm thankful for Aunty Addy always taking care of us and preparing this big… um, what's the word mommy?"

"Banquet." Harmony prompted her.

"Banket. We love your food."

Addison smiled in appreciation.

Jubilee went next. "I'm thankful for Uncle Billy who lets us play with him and never gets mad. He has a lot of magnat um, mangagme, no, um, magnatmutum, um, well he's really nice and calm."

"The word was magnanimous." Harmony corrected him.

"That sounds like I'm calling him some kind of an animal. Saying he's nice and kind and doesn't get mean just makes more sense mommy."

"That's fine by me Jubilee," Billy said with a kind smile, "and I don't have to get out a dictionary to understand the compliment. Thank you."

Jackie knew she was next. "I'm thankful for Auntie Harmony who always has a bright smile on her face no matter what. That and she brought me a new drawing book this week when I used up the one I had. She noticed it and bought me a new one without me having to ask. I'm thankful for someone always looking out for us."

Her aunt gave her a winning smile and got up and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Well I'm thankful for…" Callen thought for a moment. "I'm thankful that we have enough money to buy new shoes, slippers and a bathrobe when a certain dog decides to start teething when Serenity does." He glared for a moment at Ember.

"What?" Ember threw up her hands in the air, "he was just trying to sympathize with the baby because she is getting a new tooth. She chewed on your shoes too you know."

"Yeah, but she didn't rip them to shreds Em." Callen shot back but he saw the look on his mother's face and sat back. "Well, um, I'm also glad that Jazz reminds us to keep things fun and to forget and forgive. We sure all get enough practice around here…"

Addy gave Callen another look of disapproval.

"I couldn't agree more Callen!" Jazz jumped up and ran around the table to grab Callen, picking him out of his chair and doing a war dance with the boy over his shoulder. Callen tried to keep scowling but eventually a grin and a chuckle broke through and Jazz put him back in his seat with a kiss to his neck, making Callen squeal.

As Jazz sat back down everyone looked at Serenity who sat next to Callen. When the baby realized everyone was looking at her she started screeching and yelling "No nonononononononono noo noonononono" alternately till she let out an ear piercing scream and then was quiet.

With a smirk, Callen looked at his mom and dad. "Have I told you how thankful I am that you named her Serenity…"

There were lots of laughs and chuckles at this and even Serenity giggled.

It was Addison's turn. She sat at the corner of the table and smiled at everyone. "I'm thankful for our wonderful family of course. I'm thankful for my book being published of course and I'm especially thankful of a certain someone who put in a good word for me with the publisher."

This surprised Jackie, and apparently most everyone else at the table.

"I had sent in the book to the publisher who sent it to an editor to read over. The editor just happened to be having a problem with a ghoul in his basement that liked to rattle the floors and furniture when he sat and read. John ended up helping the man out and when he asked how he could return the favor, he put my manuscript from the bottom to the top of the pile."

Across the table Jackie could see John turning a little red. "It wasn't anything. You got published because he said it was one of the best and most imaginative children's books he had seen in a long time. I didn't do anything."

"You made sure it got his attention and wasn't lost in the stack before the man went on vacation. Quite often when they don't have time to read them, they just get sent back, ignored. John, you made sure that didn't happen and for that I'm thankful."

"Well you help us all out so much that I didn't want you to be overlooked for your amazing contribution to the literary world. You really do deserve to be published." John said with a gracious smile.

"Dad," Richie piped up, "how'd you take care of the ghoul? You banish it for him?"

"No, that day your mom was off convincing those kids to stop selling their version of magic beans to muggles. I had firebug and scamp with me when the call came in, everyone else was busy so I took them with me since it is such a small thing. Funny enough the man didn't want the ghoul gone as it made him feel like home. He had grown up in the house and played with the ghoul as a child. Instead I showed the two girls some spells on how to capture it and release it. Then let them annoy the ghoul for the next hour while I talked to him. When I was ready to leave, I let the ghoul know if he didn't give the man peace and quiet while he was reading I'd bring the two little girls back for him. There hasn't been any trouble since."

The room filled with gentle laughter to which Ember and Gypsy just shrugged, having no idea why everyone was laughing.

"Well either way," Addison added, "I am thankful you stuck around, through everything, all those years ago, and all the years since. I can't imagine how different this family would be if you hadn't."

"I had to, you know I'm a glutton for punishment." He replied then yelled "Ouch" as Dia kicked him lightly in the shin. He turned to her and eyed her. "You realize I'm going to get you for that later, right?"

"You can try little boy." She smirked back. John's grin grew larger.

"I guess you are in for a surprise girlypoo. I'll have you begging yet."

"When I'm done with you, you'll be the one on your knees begging…"

Billy cut the two of them off abruptly. "And moving on…"

There were several stifled laughs around the table.

"Okay, my turn." He said and looked significantly around the room. "I'm thankful there is one person who when it comes down to the bottom we can turn to and she can make anything right. Ah ha!" He put up a finger and pointed to everyone. "Bet you thought I was going to say my beautiful and amazing wife, didn't cha! But no! I'm talking about Dia. When things are looking their worst Dia shows up and, oh, I don't know, scares reality back into people. Did you know my boss was having an argument with his neighbor over keeping a thestral and Dia heard me talking about it and suddenly, boom! No more issues and the neighbor goes out of his way to stay on great terms with my boss. Let me tell you that has gone over really well at the office. We are lucky to have not just one, but two of the best Aurors in our house. And for that, I'm thankful."

"You're just trying to get me on your good side since you told John there were more doughnuts this morning when there weren't, aren't you…" Dia said in a stern tone, but even Jackie could tell she was trying not to smile.

"Well it couldn't hurt." Billy said with a wink. "But I really am thankful that you took care of the issue for my boss, and you had my back. You took care of getting Alex and Sky here and that bad business out of the way. Which we are still waiting to hear about by the way…"

"But not until everyone has had a chance to go." Harmony said, looking at the far end of the table. On the other side on the corner sat Skylar. "You go next Sky. Go ahead." She smiled at him.

Skylar glanced kitty corner to him at Billy who sat at the head of the table. "I'd like to thank Billy for so often when I'm not sure what to do, he stands near me or puts his hand on my shoulder and I know everything will be okay. And we're thankful for Addy who constantly asks if we are okay and need anything. I don't think we've ever been asked that before. And to Harmony who stops by during school and checks in with us to make sure we're happy. And to Jazz who keeps trying to make us laugh and not worry so much about the future. I can't imagine having a different charms teacher."

Alexis, who was sitting on his other side, chimed in. "And we are also thankful to Richie, Jackie, Melody and Cadence who have been trying so hard to watch out for us. We are so sorry about the trouble today; we weren't being careful enough I guess. We need to take John's advice and be more vigilant."

"That business today," Dia pointed out softly but with firmness to her voice, "wasn't your fault. You were set up."

"But if we had been paying better attention maybe we would have seen it coming, but we are thankful for you coming to our rescue. All of you. Mrs. McGonagall didn't look too happy about that though…"

Again everyone chuckled.

"Yeah, the look on her face as everyone kept showing up was priceless." Jazz snickered. "I'll have to imprint that into memory."

"Oh don't worry, I took pictures." Harmony said, and there was more laughter.

"Well when we are all too old to remember on our own your quick camera work will give us much enjoyment as we look back." Addy winked at her.

As the laughter died down again, Alexis cleared her throat. "We, I mean Skylar and I, just wanted to say again how thankful we are to be here and a part of this family. It's more than a dream come true, it saved us from a hell that… well…" her eyes started to tear up as John got out of his seat and walked over to squat down and give her a hug while she cried on his shoulder.

Billy reached over and put his hand on Sky's shoulder as the boy wiped his own eyes. "We are all glad you are here with us."

There was a murmur of agreement from around the table. Finally Harmony motioned to Gypsy. "Your turn."

As John stood up and walked back past, he messed up the bonnet on Gypsy's head.

"Hey warden! Stop that!" she yelled and screwed up her face, but then laughed as she looked up at him. "And shouldn't Juliette and Bob go next?"

The tiny golem looked around. "I for one am thankful to be alive. And maybe the voodoo will work." She took one of the pins out of her back and stuck it into her neck, making several people cringe. Jackie leaned forward and finally saw what the tag said. In bold letters it said "Stanton." She couldn't help but chuckle. And agree.

Bob looked around and crossed his arms. "Hungry!"

"I think Bob says he's thankful for food." Gypsy interpreted. More laughter around the room.

"What are you thankful for Gypsy?" Harmony nudged.

"I'm thankful for Alex and Sky helping us keep up with Bob's wardrobe. He needs so many new dresses that there is barely time to make them. And I'm thankful that Aria and Jubilee didn't get too mad when Bob wore their pigmy puffs as earrings when he went through his disco phase. Or that we stole all the clothes from their dolls and stuffed animals. And I'm thankful that Melody and Cadence didn't get mad when Bob tried to get a fur coat from Bella."

"He did what?" The older twins said at the same time.

"And I'm thankful that daddy didn't kill Bob when he found him in the morning sleeping on mommy's pillow with her. Or that Bob played in the corn when we got back and no one seemed to notice. And I'm thankful that Uncle Jazz is terrible about hiding his stash of candy and firecrackers. And I'm thankful that mommy's oven didn't explode when we tried to bake an explosive candy pie this afternoon."

"That explains the mess in the oven." Addy said as she stood up and took the bowl of corn back into the kitchen.

"Oh, and I'm thankful warden lets us have fun when we are out. When he had to help out the wand maker with a pair of pants that wouldn't let him take them off, warden spelled all the wands in the shop to do several musical numbers! They shot off sparks too!"

"I had to do something," John shrugged, "the poor man hadn't been able to change his shorts in a week. I didn't want the girls to get bored."

"We didn't daddy! But we also picked out wands too!" Ember giggled.

"Yes, but as I told you two, you still have to wait till you turn 11 before wizarding law says you can have them." John reminded them.

"We know daddy." Ember smiled. She looked at Harmony. "Yeah, yeah, I know, it's my turn. But isn't dinner going to get cold?"

"I've spelled it so you won't have to worry about that." Addison said.

"Oh, okay. Well then I'm thankful for…. Ummm…."

Colonel, who had been laying at the foot of Ember's chair, got up and put his front feet on the table. He barked several times then let out a long howl.

"Colonel says he's thankful for all the kindness and that he needs more chew toys if you want to save the household shoes." Ember translated. Colonel gave her a quick lick and sat down next to her chair again. She giggled and patted the dog on the head. "I'm thankful that I have Colonel, Gyp has Bob, Aria and Jubilee have Fred and Wilma, Serenity has Juliette, and even Mow and Cow have that stupid cat Bella who has no sense of humor. I mean I wasn't really going to shave her; she didn't have to hiss like that. Oh, and I'm thankful for Tom too! No Thanksgiving should be without a turkey!"

From the corner the turkey gobbled. Colonel eyed the bird, whined a little, but didn't chase it.

"And I'm thankful that my brother isn't a complete moron and knows a clock when he sees one."

Jackie had to bite her lip. Richie had been teasing poor Ember about not seeing the clock ever since they left the headmistress's office. He went as far as to even describe what he didn't see as a clock. It was driving Ember crazy.

"Well I guess it's my turn." John said. "I'm of course thankful for our wonderful family and everyone in it, no matter how long they've been a part of it. I'm thankful yet again that Jazz came up with the bracelets and made them so we could stay in touch with each other easier. I can't think of how many times I would have worried my head off it if hadn't been for the ability to communicate with each other no matter where we are. I'm thankful of Harmony's quick camera, and Addy's amazing ability to bring this feast together, Jazz's ability to liven up any evening, and Billy's ability to stay sane. I'm thankful for each and every one of the wonderful children that sits at this table and their constant reminder to find the best in each other and the day. I'm thankful for each and every pet/and or lifeform to remind us that every life is important. And I am most thankful each and every day that my wife, whom I couldn't imagine living without, who means to me more than life itself, doesn't kill me every morning when she wakes up in that grumpy mood of hers. I mean really, she wakes up in the foulest of moods every morning! What kind of person does that? I think she may have troll blood in her somewhere, or maybe banshee…"

Everyone at the table was grinning and stealing furtive glances over at Dia who was leaning back and glaring at the back of John's head, her lips pursed. John was giving his best effort not to look in her direction.

After a minute Dia finally decided it was her turn. "I am thankful for my friends who became my only family which is the best kind of family ever. Others get stuck with their families because of blood, but my family was chosen. That makes the best of families, we aren't together because we have to be, but we want to be. Every day I get to get up and see people who I want to see, to be with, to grow old with. Thinking of growing old, anyone see what happened to my hot young husband that I used to have? He was smashingly, dashingly handsome, strong, and amazing in the sack. But lately there seems to be some old man that keeps sleeping in my bed, snoring, stealing covers, and thieving my breakfasts! I can't think of the last time we woke up in the morning and made sizzling hot passionate-"

"Pancakes!" Billy blurted out.

"Well, Billy," Dia continued, "what I was about to say did include the use of the kitchen counters…"

Billy groaned which made Dia smile even farther. John sat back in his chair drumming his fingers loudly on the arm, the other hand stroking his lip in thought, a playful smile dancing in his eyes.

"Oh my god you two," Billy burst out, "seriously. You'd better post warnings if I'm guessing what you're thinking…"

"Well there ARE two kitchens around here somewhere…" John smirked.

"Richie!" Harmony's voice was barely able to speak without laughter. "You're next."

The grin on Richie's face was huge. Jackie wasn't sure how he didn't get so embarrassed when his parents hinted or flat out talked about sex.

"Well, I'm thankful for our family being so understanding of each other. I can't imagine having any other parents than my mom and dad. They are so perfect for each other. Just like Uncle Billy and Auntie Addy, and Uncle Jazz and Auntie Harmony. Some people were just meant to be."

Jackie knew what he was getting about. She decided maybe she should talk to him later about it.

"And I'm thankful to Mow and Cow, Jackie, and now Alex and Sky for our band practices. I think we are sounding better each time! I think we'll be ready to play several songs by Christmas break, don't you guys agree?"

Jackie nodded along with Melody and Cadence.

"Well I for one will be looking forward to that." Jazz said. He swiveled over to his left and leaned forward, staring intently at his oldest son, Cadence.

"Gee something tells me I need to go now." Cadence said in a deadpanned voice, earning laughter from around the table. "I guess I'm thankful for my new set of drums since I busted the last ones. And um, I'm thankful that at school we have each other to turn to even though it sometimes is hard to still see the same people day after day at school you see at home, but days like today makes me thankful that we have each other. I'm thankful we got to get out of astronomy class tonight because I forgot to do my assignment… Um, and I'm thankful Jackie had the good sense not to draw me in my underwear when I accidently was sleepwalking the other night." He looked at his dad who was still staring at him without blinking. "Okay dad, I'm done."

"MY TURN!" he shouted loudly, shaking the table from the end where he sat facing Billy.

"Jazz," sighed Addy, "how long is this going to take? We won't all die of starvation first, right?"

The dressed up chief wiggled his eyebrows at her in response, but then stood up again at the end of the table and crossed his arms trying to look important. Me chief Thumpemgood is proud of squaw and small papooses."

"Excuse me there Chief Goingtosleeponcouch," Harmony said in a more deadly voice, "squaw?"

"Um, Princess Muchforgiveness sound better?" He asked in a higher tone.

Harmony just harrumphed in response.

"Anyhoo.." he continued on in a much deeper voice. "Me see crazy white man who is digging own grave with wife and me is thankful that it isn't me." He winked at John who couldn't help but laugh. Jackie knew that John was holding Dia's hand under the table.

"And me much proud of chief's larger warriors too! They very brave and mighty!" He thumped his chest a little too hard and coughed briefly. There was a tittering from around the table.

"Also proud that Mighty Firebug, Brave Wandering Scamp, Little Fights in Dress, Furry Barks at Moon along with big chief's warriors walked in my moccasins and showed the oppressive Big Squaw Chief how we braves deal with interlopers." Jazz waggled his eyebrows at Ember, Gypsy, Aria and Jubilee who giggled appreciatively. Billy rolled his eyes.

"This big chief is very thankful that crazy white woman cooks and doesn't slip big chief a Mickey now and again."

"Don't think it hasn't crossed my mind…" Addy shook a finger at him but then laughed.

"And big chief also thankful for sidekick best friend. Many laughs at his expense make life so much fun."

"Um, thanks, I think…" Billy said questioningly.

"Big chief thankful for whole tribe. Many fun days behind, many more good days to come." And with that Jazz sat down and winked at Melody.

With a sigh the older twin leaned forward and cleared her throat. "We've all said how thankful we are for each other, and I am too. After thinking about all the stories that have been told, the pictures we have seen, I'm most grateful that we all are alive and here tonight to give thanks. Together we are more than we are alone." Melody looked around the table. "I don't think I even want to imagine what it would be like without each and every one of you here."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Oh, and one other thing. I'm grateful that Auntie Addy said no to naming the baby that is on the way Glockenspiel. But something tells me that's going to be Uncle John's permanent nickname for her." She smiled at John who laughed.

"I'm sure you're right about that one Buffy." John gave her a wink.

There was a smattering of chuckles around the table, then the room went into silence. After a moment Jubilee said "Can we eat now? I'm starving!"

Tom the turkey gobbled several times in reply.

"I think we shall if there are no more objections…" Billy looked around the room and saw Jazz raising a hand and hopping up and down in his seat. "No important objections then? Let's eat!"

"Buddy," Jazz quipped as Billy carved the roast turkey and everyone started dishing food, "I'm so going to scalp you later…"

"You couldn't find a dark wizard if it was stapled to your robe."

"Well, honey, at least I don't need to run home every time I have to go to the bathroom."

"That's because I don't feel the need to mark territory everywhere I go."

Richie smiled as he listened to his mom and dad argue back and forth. He had already used the bracelet to let both Alex and Sky know that they shouldn't be worried over anything they heard, that sometimes his parents just liked to argue. Thankfully Jackie was far enough away that he didn't have to suffer through watching her roll her eyes.

"I think you are just afraid of getting caught with your pants down."

"You mean like last month in the London Underground? Remind me again why you were talking to a prostitute with your pants off?"

John groaned and dropped his fork on his plate and glared at his smiling wife. "How long are you going to keep reminding me of that? It was a case of mistaken identity. And the acid was eating through my pants."

Dia used her own fork to push around uneaten parts of her dinner. "Yeah, I saw the muggle police report. The flatfoot didn't believe you either."

"And last week they weren't much inclined to believe you when you tried to blame the herd of cows in combat boots in the museum on pranksters."

"At least I kept my clothing on."

He leaned over and looked his wife directly in the eye. "I seem to remember later that evening you didn't while we were at the zoo."

"I wasn't the one who started that." She grinned at him.

"But I did finish it to your satisfaction though, didn't I?" He leaned in farther, his lips close to hers.

"Oh, that was you? I thought it was the zookeeper."

"Really now. You did seem rather taken with him." John quipped back.

"Yeah, I really like his huge… keys…"

"Huge keys huh. I thought it was more about you and Addy getting kicked out of there as kids and now they have to beg you to come help whenever the magical creatures act up."

Dia lightly touched her nose to John's, rubbing it up and down the length. "What can I say; I like it when a man has to beg me for something."

John opened his mouth to reply but Jazz thumped the table and cut him off. "So," Jazz said loudly, "Dia, you never told us what actually happened after we left McGonagall's office."

No one had left the table but dinner was starting to wind down. The tidbits of errant conversation fell away as Jazz gained everyone's attention.

"I figure it's just easier to tell us all right now than later having to repeat yourself." Jazz said as he finished his fourth helping of pumpkin pie.

With a loud sigh John leaned back into his own chair. Richie saw his dad momentarily squeeze his mom's hand as he did so. Dia sat up a little straighter in hers and cleared her throat.

"I got a chance to talk to the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who gave me the details as he knew them," she started.

"Did Mr. Venkar, Vecam, Verdil, oh hell Vonder-vots-his-vace tell you he saw them take it?" John asked, a little more intense.

"Mr. Srinivasan Venkataramana told me that the Fox was on his desk but when he returned after the bell rang it was gone and he assumed the boy, Pinky Smith, had taken it back with him. He didn't think anything of it until later on when Mr. Slughorn sent him a message about the Fox figurine being found in Skylar's bag. That's when all the innuendo started to fly." Dia recounted the tale.

"But Mr. Sivan, Snivas, Venkar, oh hell Vanderbuilt didn't actually see anything? So it was all circumstantial evidence?" John tried to clarify.

"Mr. Srinivasan Venkataramana,-"

John shook his finger in Dia's direction, cutting her off. "You are loving the fact that you can say his name and I can't, aren't you…"

"Absolutely." She smiled back at him, and then continued. "Anyway, Mr. Venkataramana did arrive and inspect the Fox. But I'll get to that later." Dia looked over at John again and Richie could tell she just couldn't resist taunting him. "Say it with me John. Mr. Srinivasan Venkataramana. Mr. Srinivasan Venkataramana. Mr. Srinivasan Venkataramana."

"Mr. Sinivan Vankarma." John said, narrowing his eyes at his wife.

"Uncle John," Jackie called from across the table, "Why don't you just call him Mr. V like everyone else at the school does?"

With an evil grin, John nodded to Jackie then with a playful sneer, turned back to Dia. "Mr. V."

"Coward."

"Showoff."

"Cheater."

"Bully."

"Looser."

"Wench."

"Annnnddd we're back to the story…" Addison cut Dia off. Addy was dishing herself more chocolate cream pie with extra whipped cream. "So how did you find out it wasn't their fault?"

Tearing her eyes away from her husband, Dia raised an eyebrow at Addy. The woman shrugged back at her. "I'm eating for two, remember?"

"Then what's Jazz's excuse?" Dia laughed.

Jazz, who had been scooping ice-cream onto his plate looked around with mock innocents.

Finally Dia continued. "So, about that time the picture of Dumbledore hanging on the wall started clearing his throat rather noisily. We looked up and saw the old Headmaster smiling and there, standing in his frame with him, was Richard."

Richie's heart immediately seized up. He tried not to show any reaction as he stared resolutely at his empty plate.

"Come to find out that Richard knew both the boys Smith and Wesson were old playmates of the Stanton boys. Richard had seen Devon Stanton give Pinky Smith a box and said there were instructions in it for him as well as something to make it worth his time. Since Smith and Wesson," Dia stopped as Billy yet again snorted.

"What?" Billy blurted out. "I'm expecting you at any time to tell me one of the boys has a girlfriend named Remington."

"As I was saying, Smith and Wesson are in Hufflepuff so Richard wasn't able to follow them back to their rooms. Apparently there is a rule that says the people from the frames in one house can't enter the frames of another." Dia shrugged.

"Makes sense." Addy agreed, "That way one house can't use a picture to gain information from another house."

"Agreed." Dia nodded. "So Richard didn't think much of it until later when he was searching for the kids and overheard that there was a commotion."

"Searching for us?" Jackie said. Richie knew she was looking at him, but he refused to look up.

"Yeah, he's been keeping an eye on all of you to make sure you are all okay." Dia answered her.

"Don't worry though; he also keeps an eye on Jazz for me." Harmony giggled.

"So THAT'S how you knew I had the tadfoal hidden in my robe."

"Yes. Richard told me." Harmony admitted. "It was cute, but when it grew up into a huge full grown hippocampus, where did you think it would live? Mer-horses need lots of room."

"That was why I was digging a pond out behind the tree house dear!" Jazz threw his hands up in the air like it all made perfect sense.

"Hey, now that's an idea-" Dia shifted to look at Jazz, but once again Addy cut her off.

"…for another debate." She sighed. "So go on Dia."

"Um, oh yeah. So Richard overheard some students talking about Alexis and Skylar being in trouble for theft. He knew right away that we would be called, so instead of heading to the headmistress's office right away, like the rest of this household did much to her chagrin, he went to find the Stanton boys. And sure enough, they were not too far from the library in one of the spare rooms laughing about it all. He overheard Damien state that he was nervous at first that the argument Devon started with Skylar wouldn't be good enough cover, but he spelled the Fox to look like an ordinary quill. Skylar grabbed all his stuff from his desk, never knowing that he was indeed taking the stolen object."

"It was spelled?" Melody said. "No wonder the rest of us never saw it."

"And when you all entered Potions class, Devon took the charm back off while it was in Sky's bag, and then made the book bag fall from the counter." Dia went on. "And Walla! Instant trouble. Thank goodness that Richard was there to put the pieces in place."

"So you said Mr. V." John said with an impish grin, "looked at the object, this Fox. What was it really?"

"That is where the sneakoscope came in." Dia explained. "It went off around the item, thereby hinting to us that it was not what it seemed. Sure enough, what looked like an ancient artifact ended up being a cleverly disguised fake. But having transfigured it twice, the magic had been weakened so that the sneakoscope could sense the ruse. Which reminds me," she turned to John again, "someone around Brittan is selling some pretty good artifacts. Before I came home I checked a few more places. The shop in Diagon Alley had a few of them that even they thought were the real deal. This one even had a real cursing spell placed on it from a little known text in Egypt."

"You don't think it's the Stanton's do you? They are into mostly petty theft and being jerks, but this sounds out of even their league." John responded, his index finger dragging along his lip.

"The boys had to have gotten it from somewhere. I think that is the best place to start tomorrow." Dia said thoughtfully.

"Tomorrow?" Jazz blurted out. "But it's Thanksgiving!"

"In America it is a long weekend, but not here, and not for us." Dia said firmly. "The sooner the better. I have a few of the other Aurors looking into leads right now. Heck, I'd be there if it wasn't for dinner."

"When are they expecting us?" John asked thoughtfully.

"Noon tomorrow. Gives us plenty of time to make sure all the kids get back to Hogwarts in the morning with Jazz and Harmony and any disasters cleaned up before we leave."

"Good." John retorted mysteriously. Dia looked at him and narrowed her eyes.

"Why?"

"Oh, you'll find out later." He said secretly. "Which reminds me, everyone should sleep in their rooms in the house tonight so they are ready bright and early and don't make Harm and Jazz late."

"So we have to go back to school tomorrow?" Cadence asked his dad.

"Well-"

"Yes Cadence, you do." Addy cut Jazz off. "All of you do. You keep missing too much school as it is."

"Awwwwww mommy!" Melody whined to Harmony.

"How about you save the whining till later when I don't have to clean up after you all." Addy said a bit grumpily. She picked up several dishes and took them to the kitchen.

Everyone looked at Billy. "Hey, it's not me! She's the pregnant one! Besides, I'm getting her a great gift for Christmas that I think will be a BIG help."

"Oh, what is it dad?" Jackie asked, intrigued.

"I'm not tellin." Billy smiled. "It's a surprise!"

"Tell me you didn't get her another vacuum cleaner for Christmas, right?" John sighed.

"No, it isn't." Dia replied.

"You know what it is?" John grumbled. "And you didn't tell me?"

"I would have, but you made me forget this morning when you ate my breakfast." She sneered and got up from the table, grabbing used plates and silverware.

"You are going to tell me, right?" John asked, getting up and helping Ember and Gypsy down. He stopped a second later as he looked at the two who had been using the gravy and other victuals to make art on their plates. They were covered in food since he had stopped paying attention to them to hit on his wife.

"Nope." Dia used her butt to bump open the kitchen door and slipped through.

"Awwww honey…" John whined in the same voice Melody had used.

Richie's bracelet buzzed_. Let's meet out at the tree house in ten minutes to discuss how we are going to get to the clock._ It was Jackie's writing.

_Are you crazy, it's in McGonagall's office!_ He sent back.

_Yeah, so?_

Richie sighed. This should be an interesting meeting…

Chapter 14

The Nightmare Before Christmas

The guitar felt heavier in Richie's hand than it normally did. Nerves, he told himself. Things will go fine. He strummed it a few times while he waited for the rest of the band to get into their places.

He glanced at his bracelet, expecting anytime to hear from Ember and Gypsy that they'd made it from the house to the school. The plan was for them to yet again fake sleeping and escape. They shared a room with Aria, but they snuck out to the tree house so often to sleep out there that the other little girl never even noticed if they were gone or not.

It was the night before Christmas vacation and all they had left to do was in two hours go up to Astronomy class. The plan they had conceived of back at Thanksgiving was about to be in play and Richie was surprised at how nervous he really was now that it was here. A month of planning and scheming was about to either pay off beautifully or, as he feared, go horribly wrong.

At Thanksgiving dinner the new emergency system had been discussed and since put into place. If one of the older kids yelled on the bracelet that there was an emergency, it was first up to Harmony and Jazz to react if they were still at the school. If they weren't, it fell to Dia and John unless they were on assignment. If they were unavailable, the adults at the house would quickly decide who would go and they would take the new emergency transport to Hogwarts.

A little key had been turned into a portkey and placed next to the clock with everyone's names on it in the living room. In an emergency, a human could touch it and instantly be transported to the steps at Hogwarts front doors. That way if the trouble was outside, say in the Forbidden Forrest again, they could immediately head that way, or inside if need be.

Ember and Gypsy had already stolen the key earlier in the evening. Since it could only be activated by a human, Bob had the key. According to Gypsy, he was wearing it on his necklace along with other charms they had found for him. No one had noticed.

Unable to stop himself, he looked at his bracelet again, waiting. When the two little girls got there, they were to sneak in and meet them here in the Room of Requirement during band practice. Since Ember and Gypsy, along with Bob and Colonel, had been in Hogwarts several times now, they really knew their way around. Only last week the girls had shown up and purposefully gotten themselves caught by McGonagall. They ended up being taken to her office which was how the kids now knew the password to the gargoyle that guarded the hidden staircase.

Tonight, once the girls arrived, the two were going to slip back over and watch the gargoyle and let the others know when McGonagall left her office. After Astronomy class they were hopeful the headmistress would have gone to bed and they would be clear to go into the office and test the key in the clock.

When he looked at his bracelet once more, he heard Jackie sigh. "You realize staring at the bracelet won't make them get here any faster." She said in a snide tone.

Richie glared up at her. "I was just waiting for the rest of you to be ready to play unless I grow old first."

"We're ready." Melody answered back before Jackie could reply.

"Then let's be about it already." Richie's voice betrayed his impatience and anxiety.

He was irritated that Jackie didn't look as worried as he felt as she started playing the piano. He plucked the notes on his electric guitar as the song opened.

The song was from the old film The Nightmare Before Christmas, but the version was the one the band Fall Out Boy did.

His guitar vibrated with sound as he started singing.

"What's this? What's this?

There's color everywhere

What's this?

There's white things in the air

What's this?

I can't believe my eyes

I must be dreaming

Wake up, jack, this isn't fair

What's this?

What's this? What's this?

There's something very wrong

What's this?

There are people singing songs

What's this?

The streets are lined with

Little creatures laughing

Everybody seems so happy

Have I possibly gone daffy?

What is this?

What's this?

There are children throwing snowballs here

instead of throwing heads

They're busy building toys

And absolutely no one's dead

There's frost on every window

Oh, I can't believe my eyes

And in my bones I feel the warmth

That's coming from inside

Oh, look

What's this?

They're hanging mistletoe, they kiss

Why that looks so unique, inspired

They're gathering around to hear a story

Roasting chestnuts on a fire

What's this?

What's this?

In here they've got a little tree, how queer

And who would ever think

And why?

They're covering it with tiny little things

They've got electric lights on strings

And there's a smile on everyone

So, now, correct me if I'm wrong

This looks like fun

This looks like fun

Oh, could it be I got my wish?

What's this?

Oh my, what now?

The children are asleep

But look, there's nothing underneath

No ghouls, no witches here to scream and scare them

Or ensnare them, only little cozy things

Secure inside their dreamland

What's this?

The monsters are all missing

And the nightmares can't be found

And in their place there seems to be

Good feeling all around

Instead of screams, I swear

I can hear music in the air

The smell of cakes and pies

Is absolutely everywhere

The sights, the sounds

They're everywhere and all around

I've never felt so good before

This empty place inside of me is filling up

I simply cannot get enough

I want it, oh, I want it

Oh, I want it for my own

I've got to know

I've got to know

What is this place that I have found?

What is this?

Christmas Town, hmm..."

They finished the song and smiled at each other, happy at how well the tune went.

He almost jumped as his bracelet buzzed. _Problem! Uncle Jazz is destroying the house!_ Ember wrote in her messy scrawl. Richie had to almost squint to make out the words.

_How is he doing that and why?_ Jackie was the first to respond.

_Uncle Jazz is not happy about it not being a white Christmas for Alex and Sky. He tried to spell the ceiling to make it look like it was snowing. But now there is a blizzard in the house._ Ember wrote.

_Mommy's moving us all to the tree house. We will have to wait till everyone goes to sleep before we bust out._ Gypsy appended.

_Boy is she mad too!_ Ember put in. _She contacted mommy and daddy who are working very late again. They told her to do some protection spells and let it blow over for the next day. I don't think they are coming home tonight again._

Richie knew his mom and dad had been putting in long hours at the ministry. The ancient artifact fraud was bigger than they had suspected and it required them to be gone almost all the time. It was a stated fact that Ember and Gypsy were starting to wear thin on everyone at home, not having John to watch over them.

_Well we still have Astronomy class to go to, so you have plenty of time._ Melody wrote. If you get here after we leave for class, just go straight to the hallway where her office is and hide out. We'll meet you there.

_Okay_, Ember responded, _but I think it will be a while. Auntie Addy was grounding Jazz to his room but Aria and Jubilee are missing their pigmy puffs, Fred and Wilma_.

_Is Bella alright?_ Melody inquired with concern.

_She's fine but in a horrible bad mood too. Colonel found her and picked her up by the nape of her neck and carried her out._ Ember replied. Everyone is afraid to go near her.

_Let us know how it goes. See you soon._ Richie ended the conversation and looked up at the others. "How about another song?"

The others nodded.

"Which one?" Cadence asked as he randomly beat on his drums.

"How about daddy's favorite?" Melody smiled. "The Night Santa Went Crazy."

Richie mumbled to himself as he readied his guitar to play. "Something tells me that may be tonight…"

_Daddy's home._ Jackie's bracelet buzzed with her sister Gypsy's words. _But it didn't improve mommy's mood._

Inwardly Jackie sighed. Her and the others were winding their way up the circular staircase on their way to Astronomy. They had waited as long as they could for Ember and Gypsy to get away, but the night's events at home were not in their favor. Which was to Jackie's secret delight.

They had hatched a crazy plan back at Thanksgiving, but nothing could dissuade Ember and Gypsy from wanting to be a part of it. Richie had given into the little girls in record time. Jackie worried he was becoming more and more like his dad every day. She had been the final holdout, but the plan did make more sense having the two little girls as lookouts. At least Aria and Jubilee would be safe back at home and not in a whirlwind of time traveling trouble if things didn't work out as planned. Which as far as she could tell, smooth sailing happened rarely with this family.

Messy letters belonging to Ember appeared on the bracelet. _Uncle Jazz is too afraid to come out of his room. Aria and Jubilee were almost asleep when Uncle Billy came in, but woke up when they heard his voice. He wants to give Aunty Addy her Christmas surprise but she isn't happy that the whole family won't be here. Mommy and daddy aren't coming home tonight because of the big inquisition tomorrow._

Jackie had to try hard not to look over at Richie who was almost certainly upset that his mother and father were spending yet another night away from home. She had tried to talk to him about his obsession with what they were doing, his refusal to talk to his namesake Richard in the paintings, and his overwhelming need to see the past for himself. But as usual, he just ignored her.

The bracelet showed her Melody's response which mirrored her own feelings. _Don't do anything rash Em and Gyp. Just wait. We have astronomy class anyway. Let us know how things are going._

_Will do. I'd say things can't get much worse_, Gypsy wrote, _but we've all seen daddy prove that wrong_.

They made it to another landing as Richie turned to Alex and asked, "So what did you end up asking Santa for?"

The look on Alex's face was rather amusing as Jackie could tell the darker skinned girl was trying to choose her words carefully.

"Well," she hesitated for a moment, "I guess I'm the cause of the trouble. I said a white Christmas." Alex looked around at the others. "Sorry about that."

"Don't feel too bad," Melody patted Alex's shoulder, "you should have seen the holiday that dad was the Easter Bunny and tried to leave real eggs under our pillows and all over the house. But he got mixed up which eggs were hard boiled and which ones weren't. And then we couldn't find them all. It was clear into a blistering hot summer and we were still finding spoiled eggs around the place."

"I remember that," laughed Richie, "Aunty Addy now does up all the eggs for him to distribute, and mom puts a locator spell on them to make sure they are all found."

"How many eggs does he hide?" Sky asked in what sounded like morbid curiosity.

"As I understand it, when we were little, 50 eggs." Richie said, thinking back. "As others arrived the number went up. This last Easter I think it was something like 200 eggs. I'm sure it will be more this next year with you guys added."

"Aren't we a little old to be searching for Easter Eggs?" Alexis asked.

"Don't say that around dad," Cadence almost whispered, "He'd be heartbroken. You never get too old when you're young at heart is what he always says."

From the stairwell above them came a nasty sneer. "I'd say more likely soft in the head." Jackie could tell immediately it was Devon Stanton. "But I'm not surprised at all that you babies still search for Easter eggs and believe in Santa."

"Better to have parents who care about their kids creative imaginations than ones who think their family tree shouldn't fork." Jackie snarled back, ascending the stairs with a little more force.

"You think just because you freaks have well known parents that you are better than everyone else," Damien's voice echoed down, "but you're not. We aren't taught to go running to each other and our parents every time we get a boo boo. We learn to stand on our own."

"That's because you don't have anyone to run to," Cadence hissed back, "I hear they are all shortly becoming jailbirds. I guess it would be hard to run to Azkaban every time you did something dirty and needed to hid behind someone else for it. Like Thanksgiving."

She couldn't help smirk at the memory of the Stanton's father being brought to Hogwarts the next morning to answer for how their sons got a hold of such an elaborate fake. The portrait of Uncle Jazz had raced into the painting of a sewing circle full of women and upset the table in his haste to find the kids and tell them about it. Jackie had raced along with the others and stood in the hallway leading to McGonagall's office as they stumped by, the looks on their faces were as if they had swallowed castor oil.

As she came around the last turn in the stairwell, she could see that both boys remembered that very moment as well. She decided not to try to hide the look of satisfaction on her own visage.

"I'd wipe that smirk off your face Jacordia," Devon growled between his teeth, "for someone who hangs out with dirty mudbloods I don't think it fits you."

"Better their wonderful company any day than that of filthy lowlife criminal scum." She smiled. "Oh wait, I forgot, you call that family. Maybe you'd better run home to uncle daddy before you get taken out with the rest of the garbage."

Both the Stanton boys flexed their muscles in their arms, so much that Richie and Cadence took the extra quick step to stand at the front, closest to the malicious boys as they reached the top.

Before anything could happen the Astronomy teacher poked her head out of the open doorway leading to the tower's high platform. "Come along all of you, the stars won't wait forever." She said in a genteel voice.

The group passed the two Stanton boys and wandered through to where the telescopes awaited them. From the glances that the teacher kept giving them, Jackie had a sneaking suspicion that one of their parents had asked the professor to keep an eye out for trouble. When she couldn't decide which parent had done it, she sighed and realized it was probably all of them.

"Tonight we are going to study the night sky. It seems to be foretelling of an adventure rising through Scorpio with a Libra juxtaposition. Or else someone will be having beans for a late dinner." The professor smiled, the class giggling appreciatively at the joke.

""I suppose none of us are having beans later, right?" Richie asked with a sly look at the others.

With a laugh, Sky blurted out, "Only if you are sleeping somewhere else tonight Richie."

Astronomy was winding down. The class itself wasn't too exciting but the play by play that came across their bracelets had been a source of amusement for over an hour.

Having spent time with his new family, Skylar wasn't surprised to find out that all the parents had decided since the house was uninhabitable that they would send for the kids Saturday evening. But as Ember and Gypsy told them of the events unfolding in the tree house, Sky was alarmed quite a few times.

Apparently Billy had decided to give Addison her Christmas gift anyway after getting the okay from John and Dia who were sad they couldn't be there but understood. Jazz had even poked his head out of his room to see what it was.

When Billy arrived back at the tree house that evening, having gone to get the surprise, he made everyone get out of bed, to which Ember and Gypsy were annoyed that Aria and Jubilee were NEVER going to get to sleep in time for the office break in. Billy made Addy sit down by the fireplace but she kept telling him that it could wait that she wasn't feeling in the spirit. Billy of course ignored her.

Finally he had opened the tree house door and in walked a house elf. Billy had acquired it only a few weeks ago. As Sky understood, they hated to be paid and were often tied to certain well to do households. But Billy had asked his mother to track one down and it ended up that one of the family's cousins had an extra house elf and they gave her to him.

The problem was he had forgotten Addy's aversion to what she saw as slavery.

Billy had tried to tell Addy that it wasn't really slavery because it was just the elves' way. Addy whipped out her wand and spelled an old button off the wall that said "S.P.E.W." on it. Jackie had to tell Sky and Alex what that had meant.

Unfortunately, Billy then switched to an even worse tactic. He had told her that with so many people and creatures in the house now that she was being overwhelmed to which Addison took that as she wasn't doing her job of keeping up the house in order correctly. He blurted out that she was pregnant and debilitated. Addison stood up and smacked him, yelling that it was his fault she was knocked up in the first place, _again_, and that if he didn't like the job she was doing that he could quit his nice and cozy job at the ministry and stay home and help instead of running away every time there was work to do. That he should man up and not find a slave to do it instead.

Meanwhile, the new house elf cleaned up the entire living area and even emptied out the ashes from the fire pit with the fire still going. House elves had a magic of their own.

Ember was worried the house elf, named Tiki, would find them missing and give them away.

Gypsy was worried because Bob had attached himself to the elf's leg and was apparently smitten, having been on the outs with Juliette because she looked better in the Flapper dress than he did.

Finally Addison stormed out of the room, placing a spell on her doorway so Billy couldn't get in. Harmony got all the kids back to bed except Serenity to which Billy ended up falling asleep on the couch with the baby still awake and in his arms, drawing on his face with a quill that Jazz had given her. The new house elf cleaned the kitchen then sat and played with Juliette and the baby while still trying to ignore Bob on her ankle.

Ember and Gypsy were both heartbroken.

_Don't worry Em, Gyp,_ Richie wrote to them on the bracelet. _We are going to call it a night anyway. We saw McGonagall earlier out on the lawns talking to someone so we know she is still up. We'll just have to try some other time._

_And since the new house elf's name is Tiki,_ Sky added, _tomorrow let's make Bob a Polynesian Goddess outfit. Maybe that will help him make points with her._

_Fine. Goodnight._

Sky could tell the little girls were tired and cranky, it being way past their bedtime. He was glad they were pliant to throwing in the towel for the night.

Jackie gathered up her book bag and nodded to the others. "Well, off to Gryffindor tower I guess. Everyone else will be gone with first light to the train and back home. Man will it be good to sleep in for once someplace quiet."

On their way back down the stairwell, Richie looked up at Sky with an evil grin. "So, who's up for beans?"

"I'm just saying that if your mom was truly great at Divination, she'd see what your dad was about to do, say launching a snow storm in the house, and stop him in time. And she wouldn't have to have the portrait of Richard spying on him. That's all."

The argument between Jackie and Melody had been raging on since the moment the three girls had woken up in their dormitory room. Alexis knew enough to steer clear of the spat, pretending to need to sort out her footlocker.

Which ironically she did.

The darker skinned girl was flabbergasted by the amount of sweaters Dia had continued to send to her to make sure she kept warm. Even as busy and dead tired as she knew the woman was with the whole fake artifacts mess, Dia found time to send owls with packages of sweaters, hoodies, pullovers, gloves, scarves and snow boots. Even though there was no snow on the ground or even in the forecast.

"Divination isn't like that" Melody countered to Jackie's statement. "It isn't something you just will to happen and POOF!"

"It's just such a wooly practice. I hope you know I don't plan on ever taking the class, you do know that, right?" Jackie pulled on her boots as she looked over at Melody for confirmation.

"No one says you have to," Melody said with a touch of hurt in her voice. "But you will want to tell that to mom. I think she'll be hurt that you don't want to be in her class."

With a roll of her eyes, Jackie put her feet on the floor and stood up from her bed. "I bet you Richie has no intention of taking the class either. Considering the stories his mom tells of how her classes went…"

"I would think both you and Richie have more patience than Dia did at our age. But I do believe mom already said she doubted Ember, and therefore Gypsy, would take the class."

"Could you imagine those two in Divination?" Jackie smiled, thinking about it. "I wonder if the class would survive."

"Doubts to the class's survival, but I bet Bob would love it. He could wear his gypsy outfit, and also his belly dancing one…" Melody said as she walked to the door and opened it.

"You think he will live that long?" Jackie asked no one in particular.

Melody just shrugged. "Colonel will. Wonder if he'll be allowed in since it us usually just pet owls, cats, frogs or rats. I think he'll have too much temptation to chase, well, everything. Let's go eat."

Quickly Jackie grabbed up her newest drawing pad and a little pouch that contained several drawing quills and different colored ink. She glanced over at Alex with a knowing smile.

"You can stop playing around in your footlocker Alex." Jackie quipped. "Those sweaters aren't getting any fewer and there's no need to avoid our conversation anymore."

With a shrug and a shy smile, Alexis dropped the lid on the locker that was overflowing with sweaters, pullovers and long sleeved shirts. "Why does she keep sending us clothes? I have no idea what to do with them all and I haven't gotten a chance to wear even half of them!"

As the girls walked down the spiral stairs to the Gryffindor common room Jackie sighed. "I know. I asked mom that once and she just said it was something Aunty Dia does to show how much she worries and cares for us. I guess when Dia was younger she moved around so much that anything she had got lost, including warm clothes. Often she would end up wearing something of mom's or Aunty Harm's when her suitcases would come up missing from yet another move."

"Yeah," Melody agreed, "my mom said that Dia would so often be cold and she would tell whoever she was staying with at the time that her clothing was gone but more often than not her request was forgotten. She had money that was from her dead parents and other deceased relatives but no one would take her to Gringotts Bank to pull it out. That's why Aunty Addy started to sneak out with her and go to Diagon Alley. Of course they rarely made it into any clothing stores having found much more interesting things to do instead."

They had made it down to where the three boys were standing by the warm fireplace. The room was quiet since everyone else had hours before left for the train and home. Richie had his arms crossed and his back to the portrait where the image of Jazz was making faces at him. His namesake was absent.

"What are you girls talking about?" Richie asked a little harshly. "I thought I heard my mother's name."

"I was just asking why Dia sends so many sweaters and such." Alex said with as much kindness in her voice as she could. Richie seemed to relax a little.

"Dad says it is because mom is always cold, so she must figure everyone else is too." Richie said with less tension in his voice. "That's just her way of saying she's worried for you and thinking about your wellbeing."

"Just wait till summer," Cadence laughed, "you'll find yourself getting bathed in sunscreen."

"But my natural skin tone makes it so I really have never burned." Alex admitted.

"I doubt it will matter," Melody put her arm around Alex's shoulders. "Aunty Dia will make you wear it anyway just to be sure."

"I for one won't mind," Sky said moving closer to the girls. "No one has ever cared enough to worry about that sort of thing for us. I think it's nice."

"You say that now," Cadence laughed, "but just wait till she has you reapply it for the tenth time. She says that she could always do a spell on our skin that will keep it from burning but that the lotion is good for our skin anyways. I think it gives her a reason to check up on all of us without seeming like she hovers like mom does to us."

"Actually," Richie corrected, "she doesn't trust the spell because it was used on her several times when she was young and she still got burned pretty badly having such fair skin. She got very good at fire spells and permanent spells to never be burned again, by fire or the sun. Dad said that is why she insists on making sure we are all okay. She doesn't want us to go through what she did."

"Let's go eat, I'm starving." Cadence announced, waving goodbye to the image of his dad who was now trying to pluck every petal from the vase of flowers next to his own portrait. "There are so few people here that the house elves are making food for anyone who sits down instead of heaping it on the tables to be grabbed."

As they all moved towards the portrait hole on their way to get an early lunch, Alex couldn't help but wonder out loud. "Why is it that Dia seems less concerned about Ember than the rest of us, especially Richie? She is always checking up on him. Why not Ember?"

"Probably because Ember has Uncle John wrapped around her finger," Cadence smirked, stepping through and moving towards the nearest moving staircase. "And besides, Ember is so much like Dia when she was young. Ember has a way of making everyone think she has it all under control. She's an underground mob boss these days."

"And with Gypsy with her all the time, I think Aunty Dia sees Aunty Addy and herself in the two little girls so she lets things slide." Melody added.

"I don't mind," Richie said back over his shoulder as he walked slightly ahead of the others. "I like having mom's attention. And Em loves dad's, so it all works out great."

"Listening to the stories that are told, I'm surprised that Dia, or any of them for that matter, are functioning adults." Sky said in an offhanded way, his hands in his pockets. He looked up when he realized what he had said, turning the others. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to offend anyone."

"None taken." Melody laughed. "Some days we wonder if _dad is_ a functioning adult."

"They grew up in terrible times," Jackie said as they made it down the stairs and were outside the Great Hall. "I guess we should be thankful that we don't have any weird obsessions or problems."

As the kids walked into the Great Hall they overheard two of the teachers talking.

"No, sorry, we can't ask Minerva." The Ancient Runes teacher Mr. Dun, a withered old man who looked as if he passed death several years ago but didn't get recognized, said to the Muggle Studies teacher Mrs. Haversack.

"Why not?" He asked as he placed the last of his cookie in his mouth.

"Because she is away all day. Some sort of an inquisition is going on down at the ministry and she is a witness to something." The woman, who was fairly rotund and almost didn't fit on the bench, explained to him.

"Oh, yeah, that fake artifacts ring that was getting busted up. I heard a few things about that."

Alex realized they had all stopped just short of the doorway and were all listening intently. She carefully let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

"Yeah," the woman said, picking up some chocolate covered gingersnaps. "There is a great to-do about it all. Somehow one of the artifacts made it here."

"Really? How?"

"Not here Samuel," the lady looked around the room and lowered her voice having seen other students at a table beyond what Alexis could see.

They had all shrank back in fear of being seen.

"Later in the teacher's lounge then?" The old frail man Samuel said in less of a hushed voice.

Alex wasn't sure what else the teachers had said because Richie, then Cadence, followed by the others had started to slip quietly away from the door. He motioned for Alex to follow.

When they had made it farther down the side hallway, Richie nodded to the others in a low voice. "She's gone for the day. I say we go now."

"What about Ember and Gypsy?" Melody whispered.

"We don't have time to call them. What if she arrives back sooner than expected?" Jackie said in hushed tones.

"It is a time device, we should come back right after we left, you know, kind of like the time turner we saw at the beginning of the school year." Cadence also was very quiet with his words.

"Still," Jackie said cutting off anyone else, "I say we go. Now or never. Ember and Gypsy would be noticed missing regardless since it is the middle of the day. If everything works out fine we can always just jump to the tree house and get them, right?"

"Sounds plausible…" Melody said hesitantly.

Secretly Alex was glad the little girls wouldn't be a part of it. She worried about them if anything went wrong…

"Okay then, let's do this thing. We have the password to the office since Ember and Gypsy got it when they broke in last and McGonagall took them to her office. No time like the present."

Everyone nodded in agreement and so they all started running down the hallway as quietly as possible.

As they ran up the stairs that lead to the hallway outside McGonagall's office Alex looked back down and for a half a second thought she saw movement. When she looked again, there was only the regular paintings moving about, but no one below.

Nervousness crept up her spine. Sky had helped her pull many thefts so they would have something to eat, or clothes to wear long before they arrived at Hogwarts. But this time it was different. She finally had something worth holding onto.

She matched eyes with Skylar and knew he felt the same. But neither one wanted to back out and let the others think they were scared. She wanted them to see her, and Sky, as one of them. If they were going to get into trouble she wanted to be included.

That's what family did.

Slowly the door swung on silent hinges as it opened into the office proper. The huge oak door didn't seem to care that there was no one in there to receive them.

Directly in front of Sky, Richie cautiously looked around the empty room and touched his bracelet, signaling to the others that the coast was clear. Sky could hear the rest of the intrepid bunch hustle up the staircase as they walked farther into the large Headmistress's office. As he looked around he realized that all the picture frames of the old headmasters and headmistresses were missing their occupants. Richie noticed it too. His left hand came up and he scratched the back of his head in thought, absentmindedly mirroring his father's mannerism.

The others entered and Jackie closed the door softly behind them, and turned to look up at what had caught everyone's attention.

"You think maybe the portraits go to a weekly meeting perhaps?" Richie asked no one in particular.

"Maybe they are at the Inquisition, too, as witnesses?" Cadence said thoughtfully, the puzzled look on his face matching the rest of them.

Jackie shrugged it off. "We'll have time to ponder that later, first let's see to the clock." She turned to Richie. "You have the key, right?"

"Yeah I do," he grinned as he pulled it out of his jeans. "It was still in there from last night."

"You are wearing the same pair of pants from yesterday?" Melody stared at him agast.

"Well, yeah, they weren't too dirty…" Richie shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"Ewwwww." Jackie and Melody said at the same time.

"What?" Richie asked as he spotted and moved closer to the clock.

"You are such a guy," Melody said exasperated as she, too, stepped nearer to the clock.

"So what do we do?" Cadence asked in a way that Sky almost expected the clock itself to answer.

Out of his pocket Richie pulled the little skeleton key with the blue hourglass in the middle of the Hogwarts crest. He held it up for a moment then walked up to the clock and stuck it into the little keyhole to the left of the clock's delicate iron hands. Nothing happened.

"Hmmm," Jackie frowned. She set her drawing book and little bag of ink and quills down on the top of a glass cabinet nearby. With her forefinger she reached up and moved the long hands of the clock around.

The sand in the timepiece started to swirl gracefully around in the glass encasement behind the clock. A small door popped open and Sky thought a small bird was going to jump and start making noise, but instead the door revealed a beautiful ring. Richie reached up and took the ring from its hidden storage and inspected it for everyone to see.

The ring was thick and made of intertwining ribbons of silver, gold and platinum. There were fragile symbols that none of them could decipher set into the metal that encircled the entire band.

"Too bad Ember isn't here after all," Alex sighed, "I saw her reading a book on ancient runes last time we were there. Her and Gypsy were going to start leaving notes with the symbols on them to confuse Billy. With her didactic memory, I bet you she could translate the words."

"But she isn't," Cadence grunted, "so we will just have to hope it doesn't say anything like 'you are all doomed' on it."

"I'm going to guess," Richie mumbled, "that it says something about being careful." With a quick movement, he slipped the ring onto his middle finger.

The clock became fuzzy and a portal opened in front of it, as if the clock was inviting them to step through. Sky leaned forward with the rest trying to gaze beyond.

It opened into a playground on a hazy day. The cheerfully bright plastic playground equipment hosted many children that yelled, screamed, giggled and ran among the many protrusions, slides, bridges and ladders. The cacophony of colors set a striking contrast to the grey skies above.

"Hey, I was just thinking about this playground several minutes ago…" Richie said breathlessly. "We were all talking about attention from our parents and my mind wandered to one of my earliest memories which was having fun playing here. We would play the hugging game when we went out." He pointed to a bench where several adults sat next to each other. "Look, mom and dad!" And without another thought, Richie rushed through the doorway and into the grassy park beyond.

"Wait!" Jackie tried to say but he made it to the far side before she could get it out. She clenched her fists but her face showed her decision. She followed Richie through the shimmering doorway.

With a shrug to each other, the twins chased after them both. Sky caught Alex's apprehensive eyes but she turned and with more caution, stepped though. Sky was immediately on her heels.

They caught up with the others as Jackie pulled Richie behind a set of bushes directly behind the bench where his parents sat. Sky noticed that to the left of Dia sat a younger Addison who was watching the children play. John sat on Dia's right. Harmony was walking around in the sand taking pictures of what had to be a much younger set of twins, along with a younger version of Jackie who was giggling and running from Jazz who was playing bridge troll.

On Dia's lap sat Richie who had to be only four or five years old. It was a cool day out but the boy was bundled up tight in a large warm coat, gloves, thermal hat and scarf even though the rest of the kids wore only light pullovers and tennis shoes.

The older Richie stood not far away staring at his younger self and parents. He took a step closer and a fallen twig from the tall tree on their left snapped loudly under his foot. Immediately all the children fell to the ground for cover behind the bush just as John glanced behind him looking for the source of the sound.

"Well," Melody whispered to the others, "it isn't like a pensive. The clock has made it so we can interact with the past."

The only reason Sky knew what a pensive was is because of all the late nights they speculated on the nature of the time clock. Jackie looked it up in one of the multitudes of books that were on bookshelves at the house and tree house. In a pensive, memories could be viewed without the person changing anything in history. Apparently they could here which made everything they did so much more dangerous.

"Okay, so everyone be careful, we don't want to change our own past by accident." Jackie looked to each person and got a nod in silent agreement.

Over at the bench that was very close to them, they heard the young Richie asking his mom to be allowed to get down and go play with the others.

"I suppose…" Dia hugged the boy close to her again. "Are you warm? Are the long john's keeping your legs warm enough?"

They could hear the smile in the little boy's voice. "Yes mommy."

"And your boots? Are your feet warm?"

"Yes, very warm."

"Are your ears warm? Your face?"

With a giggle, the boy replied, "Yes mommy. I don't need the ski mask today."

She gave the little boy yet another hug, not letting him go. "Okay, but be careful. Don't fall down or you could get hurt. Maybe I should spell some shin and wrist guards for you just to be safe."

Next to her, John sighed and reached an arm around his wife. "Honey, why don't you just wrap him in bubble wrap already and get it over with."

"I'm just worried. Jazz looks like he might get too aggressive. I don't want Richie to get injured."

"I think it will be okay Dia," Addy nudged the other woman playfully with her shoulder, "Harmony hits him every time he gets too far into character."

Little Richie slid down from his mother's lap but didn't get too far before she called to him. "Wait, I need a kiss there sweetie."

The little boy turned and grinned at her. "Okay mommy." He ran over and gave her a quick kiss before turning to the playground again.

"Wait!" She called again. "You didn't give daddy a kiss."

John looked like he was going to protest but the little boy joyfully ran over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Before he could run off again Dia called out, "what about Aunty Addy?"

The boy threw his arms in the air and ran over and gave the other woman a quick kiss. "And here's a hug too so that mommy won't say I forgot that as well." He wrapped his arms around Addy as far as they would go for a quick embrace.

"I think I need another kiss and one of those hugs too…" Dia smiled and the boy rushed back into her arms. She gave the boy a smothering hug and another kiss.

"And one for daddy too!" The boy gave a silly laugh and hugged and kissed his dad before making to run off again.

With a quick glance to the older version of Richie, Sky saw the same smile on his face as with his younger self.

Dia went to say something again but John pulled her closer to his chest and cut her off. "Let the boy go and play. It'll be fine. We are right here."

"Have you seen the statistics of how many children get injured, or worse, stolen, with their parents right there in the park with them?" Dia countered, the worry more evident in her voice now that the little boy was farther away.

"Honey," John said in a soothing voice, "you already demanded to know why each and every person was here in the park and chased off anyone who you thought was just loitering for no good reasons. I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"We have everything to worry about. Like the sanitation of the playground equipment. Who knows how many germs are on those rails or handholds." Dia complained. "And I don't think the sand is fluffed enough to stop them from breaking bones if they fell from that bridge or the tower. And what if Jazz chases them and they run into one of the metal poles? I think they should be wrapped up for safety."

Cadence looked at Melody and whispered in a low voice. "Well, now we know why the council suddenly revamped the playground even though it had just been rebuilt. I bet it was your mom, Richie, that demanded it." He looked at Richie who wore a look of greater concern.

John's voice cut Richie's response off. "You know what, love? I think they will be just fine. He stroked her hair as he pushed her head to rest on his shoulder. With a look that Dia couldn't see, John exchanged silent communication with Addy.

The kids all screamed and ran as Jazz leapt from underneath the slatted bridge and roared like he was a troll.

"If it will make you feel any better, Dia," Addy spoke softly, "we can talk to the designers of this park again. After your last visit, the playground equipment was replaced in record time. I'm sure they'll be open to any suggestions you may have."

From across the playground Sky saw the young Richie run back over to his mother and climb on her lap. "You look like you need another hug mommy," the little boy said as he wrapped his arms around his mother's neck.

As she encircled his little body with her arm she murmured to her son, "You're right, I do."

Slowly Jackie and the twins backed off and stood around the other side of the tree. Richie, Alex and Sky joined them.

"What if the doorway goes away?" Melody was asking Jackie.

"Hang on, I have an idea." Richie touched the ring and the doorway disappeared, only the outline showing to mark its place. When he touched the ring again, it reappeared right where it had been before.

"I just thought about it going away, and it did, but not all the way." Richie told the others. He touched it and returned the doorway to the sparkling outline from before. "I think maybe this is better, not so distracting." Richie once again looked over at his younger self who was still hugging his mother and patting her back, his mother having not let him go. His father gave him a little rub on his covered head and kissed the little boy's cheek.

"Can I have a turn with the ring Richie?" Jackie asked in a sweet voice.

"Um, yeah, sure." He said falteringly.

"You okay?" Alex asked Richie, seeing his face a bit more pale than usual.

"Um, oh, um, yeah, I'm fine." He answered her. "It's just that I remember it, well, a little differently. That's all."

"It's obvious that this isn't just someone's memories, but real life." Melody tactfully explained. "Many of our memories of events will seem different from our perspective now."

As Richie slipped the ring off his finger, he glanced at the outline of the doorway that shimmered behind them. "And we can safely say that no one else can see the doorway. If they had, mom would have already called every Auror in the ministry here just now."

"So, invisible doorway, but not so invisible us. Got it." Cadence smiled. "The ring didn't take us back to the office, so it must know when we are ready to go."

Richie handed over the ring to Jackie.

** Sky watched as Jackie slipped the ring on her finger. The scenery blurred a bit, when it came back into focus, it was evident that they were still in the same park, but it was years prior. The trees were smaller, and the colorful plastic playground equipment had been replaced by the metal relics of years past. The merry-go-round gave off its infamous squeak as it turned. Children ran about laughing and playing.**

** "I think there is something wrong, I wanted to see when my parents first met." There was disappointment in Jackie's voice as she looked around. "This isn't Hogwarts."**

** Sky looked around. He noticed a small girl, about nine or ten years old sitting alone on a bench. Her bobbed hair so dark black it was almost blue. "Are you sure they met at Hogwarts?"**

"**Well no, I just assumed. They never mentioned anything else." Jackie was still puzzled. Sky held his gaze on the little girl. She lifted her head, her eyes were red, and her face tear soaked. But even though the puffy eyes, he could see that this was Addy. She could have been Jackie's twin, if Jackie's hair had been much shorter and darker. **

** "Over there." Sky said softly. A woman walked over and sat by the child. Though it seemed she was trying to comfort the little girl, it was as if she was inexperienced with children. **

"**I think that is her."**

** "It is, but she is so young. I don't understand." **

"**Who is that with her?" Sky asked but Jackie had moved closer to the bench.**

"**That is Addy's mother's second cousin Kathryn. She and her husband Henry took Addy in when her parents died." Richie whispered to Sky.**

**Jackie stopped just within earshot. She motioned to the others to join her. All she could hear was the woman say I'm sorry. The young girl sniffled and told her she would be fine. Another woman, dressed in very nice, almost too nice for the playground cloths approached the two on the bench. Following behind her was a small sandy haired boy. When the woman turned to look for the young boy, Jackie gasped. "That is my grandmother, and that must be my dad!" The nicely dressed woman whispered some to the boy, which made him turn around and look behind him. There was no mistaking his bright blue eyes. It was most definitely Billy. He turned back and peaked around his mother. His mother reached down and scooted the young boy around in front of her. Sky could hear the woman speaking.**

** "Hello Addison, she said kindly. This is my son William. I thought you two might get on quite well." Addy's gaze was fixed on her hands. Billy's gaze was fixed on her. It was as if he were frozen. He didn't move, and couldn't look away. **

** "Hello William." She said politely, and began to sob again.**

** "I am so sorry Edna. She is still quite upset." Kathryn apologized. "Jacordia's leaving has been very hard on her."**

** "No need to be sorry, the young thing has lost so much in her short life." Edna removed a neatly pressed handkerchief from her hand bag. She dabbed at her own eyes, and then handed it to Addy. **

** "I have seen that handkerchief." Jackie whispered to Sky. "It sets on the dresser in mom and dad's room next to Grandmother's photo." **

** Addy looked up at Edna, and tried to hand the handkerchief back. "No my dear, you keep it." Edna smiled at the child. Addy's lavender eyes smiled a little and she thanked the woman.**

** Edna bid her fair-wells to them and started to walk away. Billy stood stark still, as if he were memorized. "Come along William, don't doddle." **

** "Your mother is calling you." Addy said politely and smiled at Billy. Billy almost fell over, but caught his balance, albeit in his none to graceful manner. He looked at his mother, then to Addy.**

"**Nice to meet you." he said, and then ran to his mother's side.**

"**This must have been when Aunt Dia had to move to America." Melody was lost in thought. **

** "Yeah and met dad." Cadence added.**

**Sky looked at Jackie; he could see that there was something wrong. "Are you okay Jackie?"**

"**I think so. It's just that she seems so sad. Even when she smiles." Jackie looked over her shoulder at her mother. "She never told me about this." **

** "Well have you ever really asked her about when she and your dad first met?" Sky raised his eyebrow at her. **

** "Come to think of it I haven't." Jackie looked down at her shoes. "There are a lot of things I haven't asked. I guess I just took it for granted that I knew." **

**Sky chuckled. "You have been with this family the longest, but sometimes I wonder if you are the farthest away."**

"**Yeah, me too." Jackie said looking at the other four, who were now laughing and going on about something. Sky grabbed Jackie by the hand and drug her over to the others.**

**Alex was laughing hysterically. "What's up with her?" Sky asked as he and Jackie joined them.**

"**We were just telling her about the time Aunt Dia and dad blew up that Army Surplus store." Cadence laughed.**

"**Don't think I have heard that one." Sky smiled at them. **

"**Well we think there is something fishy about the way he tells it. And Aunt Dia always acts like he isn't telling the whole story." Melody held her hand out to Jackie. "So we want to go see for ourselves."**

**Jackie slipped the ring off of her finger and handed it to Melody. Melody slipped it on her finger. The blur and movement of the things around them made Sky a little nauseous. When their surroundings once again came into focus, Sky could tell they were not on in England anymore. The heat was almost unbearable. **

"**Where are we?" Sky asked.**

"**This is Nevada. It's where Uncle Jazz grew up in the states. We come and visit once a year." Richie informed him. Alex nodded in understanding, as she too was clueless to where they were.**

"**Wow it is really hot here!" Sky said as he looked around. Down the street about a block, two familiar faces walked toward him. Quickly he pushed the other kids into a nearby alley. "It's Jazz and Dia." He whispered as he moved them along.**

"**How do you know?" Cadence asked quickly. Sky turned and pointed to the opening of the alley way. Just then two kids about their age passed by. **

"**I know because Jazz is still huge! I don't think that man was ever small in his life! I think he must have been born a toddler, and Dia is the only person I know who would have a heavy sweater on in this heat!" Jackie giggled. **

"**You know my mom says the same thing about Uncle Jazz." Melody and Cadence poked their heads around the corner.**

"**Hurry, we have to follow them. They are about a block away now." Cadence started. **

"**We don't want to get left behind." Melody finished. Cadence moved quickly and Melody fallowed. **

**The group moved quickly. Each of them making sure to keep their eyes on Dia and Jazz. They had caught up to them, but made sure to stay far enough back as no to be noticed. Finally Jazz stopped, he pulled the door open, and held it for Dia. Dia made a mocking bow and walked in. The six moved close, pressing their faces to the window. Dia turned and looked back at the door. Sky quickly pulled everyone to the ground. **

"**That was close! We need to be a lot more careful. You guys stay here. I am going to go in alone so I can get a look at the lay out." Cadence moved to the door before anyone could stop him. The others sat on the sidewalk with their backs against the store front, waiting. Though it was only about 5 minutes it seemed like hours. Cadence opened the door and motioned to the other to come in.**

"**Where is dad?" Melody asked.**

"**He is in the back, talking to Grandpa. He and Dia just came from the Arcade down the street." Cadence showed the others the way. They stood behind a stack of tents, out of direct sight. They watched on, and listened.**

"**I was so close Dad, I almost had it beat." Jazz went into an elaborate dance and story. He was throwing kicks and punches in the air. Demonstrating as he talked. "I was like pow." he punched the air. "The the other guy way like wham." He showed an elbow hit to his side. Quickly he spun around "But I was too quick and too smart for him." Jazz's voice was very animated. He spun and kicked into the air, landing in a crouching position. "Then I went in for the kill!" He threw his hands up in front of him. A loud crack sounded. It was as if some extension of himself flew from his hands. It hit the huge freestanding rack of shelves in front of him with such force it was as if something had exploded. The contents went flying, and the shelving unit itself collided into the standing next to it. This caused a chain-reaction. Like a huge set of dominoes the shelves tumbled. Jazz was frozen in his tracks. Dia's face held a look of great surprise. Jazz's father face palmed himself, and shook his head. The store contents continued to fly and collapse around them. A box of smoke grenades hit the floor in front of Sky and the other children. The store owner was urging everyone to exit the building. He was now pushing Jazz, his father, and Dia toward the door. **

**Sky looked around. There was nowhere for them to go, and if they stayed where they were, they would be seen. Quickly Sky grabbed one of the grenades, pulled the pin and lobbed it into the middle of the store. Blue smoke started to fill the air. **

"**Follow me, but not too close." Sky said as he grabbed a length of rope that had also fallen from a nearby shelf. He tied it around his waist, and handed it to Cadence. "Space yourselves out." He started toward the door. The smoke was so thick it was very hard to tell where he was going. The path he had just seen was now engulfed in a blue fog. He tried to move quickly, and cautiously. As he rounded the corner, he came eye to eye with Jazz. **

"**Hey, you better not go that way. Things are falling everywhere. You could get hurt." Jazz cautioned the boy. **

"**Um... Thanks I will go back the other way." Sky yelled making sure the others heard him. **

"**You should stay with us, we will get you out." Jazz yelled, as he eyed Sky, who kept his head down. Making sure not to let Jazz get a good look at him.**

"**I will be fine. You go ahead." Sky said. Then suddenly he was pulled back. Richie and Cadence pulled him down to the floor, behind the pile of tents.**

"**We have to figure out how to get out of here. Jazz and Dia are close and I don't think we are gonna make it to the doors without them seeing us." Sky was calm but they could all hear the sirens getting closer."**

"**Well we better figure it out soon." Alex was very nervous. **

"**Come out with your hands up!" A voice bellowed though a bullhorn outside. "We don't want to hurt anyone, but we will if we have to."**

"**Great!" Cadence yelled. "Were in trouble!"**

"**That's it!" Jackie was excited, but she kept her calm. **

"**What?" The others said in unison.**

"**It's time for Mom's 'Clean Get Away' spell. She has used it when the Trouble Twins have done something like this. I am guessing that Jazz was her inspiration!" Jackie grabbed the rope. "Hold on and follow me." **

**Sky held tight to the rope, as Jackie led the way. They stopped in the middle of the store. **

"**Now what." Sky asked. Alex stood so close to him he could feel her shaking. The voice once again boomed outside. **

"**The Army has just arrived. If we don't settle this now, they are going to take over and I can tell you it isn't going to be pretty."**

"**Hold on, when I am done we will be on the other side of the street. Mom did this one time when Gyp and Em had almost torn down the Muggle toy store back home. Here we go." Jackie cleared her throat.**

"**Wait, how many times have YOU done this?" Alex asked her voice shaky.**

"**Never, but there is not time like the present!" Before anyone could stop her, Jackie repeated the words she had heard her mother use. The next thing they knew they were breathing clearly, and blinking the bright sun from their eyes.**

**From the other side of the street, they could see Jazz, his father, and Dia, surrounded by police and army men. The store owner was adamant that Jazz was the cause of the trouble. He was jumping around yelling and pointing his finger at him. A bright flash of light and a thundering boom came from the store. Everyone outside fell to the ground for cover. The smoke in the store was gone. They sent a heavily armored man from the Army inside. He came out with a puzzled look on his face. **

"**Well what is it boy?" An official looking man from the army asked as he stood there.**

"**Um... Nothing Sir. Nothing at all." They could all hear the confusion in his voice.**

"**What do you mean? 'Nothing.' Something had to cause that explosion and mess!"**

"**That's just it, there is no mess Sir." the man reported. "It looks like a cleaning crew has just gone though." **

**Jackie stood smiling. Her grin reminded Sky of the Cheshire Cat.**

"**What a disappearing act. That was awesome." Cadence congratulated Jackie. "I wonder why Aunt Addy hasn't taught that to Uncle John?"**

"**Something about 'plausible deny-ability' I asked her the same thing. It seems it isn't a sanctioned spell. She doesn't want him to get in to trouble with the Ministry."**

"**Wow Secret Agent Addy. I wonder how many more spells like that she has up her wand." Cadence laughed. **

"**Well considering who she lives with. I would think there are a lot!" Sky laughed, and was joined quickly by the others.**

"**Speaking of disappearing acts." Richie looked at Jackie. "Remember the photo of the girl that our parents helped out at Hogwarts. The night before the battle." He rubbed his chin in thought." Sky was instantly reminded of John. "I was wondering what really happened to her. They said they never saw her after that night."**

** "Okay, so it is off to Hogwarts, but where in the school?" Melody asked.**

** "The last place they were all together. The room of Requirement." Cadence said as he slipped the ring off of his finger and handed it to Richie. **

As soon as Richie put back on the ring, the room of requirement swirled into place around them. He had thankfully made a conscious effort to make sure they appeared in the very back of the room so they could quietly make their way towards the teen versions of their parents without being noticed. The room had at one time been burnt down during the Battle of Hogwarts. But this was the night before the epic battle and the room was filled to the hilt with items to provide them cover to hide behind and shelves to peer through.

Sky crept as close as he felt he could get away with and not get found out. The voices became clearer as they got nearer. Through the shelves of books he was able to see them standing near the door to the hall.

John was standing with his arms wrapped around a sobbing brunette. He knew right away it was Savannah McClintock. Richie's body became a little more rigid in front of Sky. It was obvious that it upset the boy to see his father, let alone his mother, with anyone else.

Jazz and Addy were conversing in low tones, trying not to upset the girl any more than she already was. They were making plans on how to get Savannah back to her dorm, and them to theirs, without being caught.

Not too far from the others stood Dia and Richard. Sky had to admit that the brown haired boy was quite handsome in person. Not a boy, Sky thought, a man. He was a year older than the others and seemed to wear it well. On the street Sky may have mistaken him for being in his early 20's. He had his arms around Dia and his chin resting on her shoulder. Her fingers were in the loop on his sleeve that held the rest of the fabric off his forearm and were working it back and forth so much that Sky was sure it was going to rip off at any moment. Finally with a soft smile, Richard reached his other arm around the front of her and took her hand and held it still, stopping her from doing any more damage to the shirt.

With a soft sigh Dia started to look at the things among the shelves, slowly heading their way. Luckily she stepped to the other side of the bookshelves that they were hidden behind. Richard walked silently behind her, acting like he, too, was checking out the different items gathering dust, but his eyes kept darting back to Dia. She found a large tome and pulled it down, resting it on another shelf as she leafed through it. Richard stood beside her, also looking at the book. His left hand though was under her hair, rubbing the back of her head and neck.

The brunette continued to cry as Addy calmly tried to tell the girl of their plan. Dia glanced over but didn't move, her attention returning to the massive book. After a minute or so, Addison walked over to the two, making everyone sink down lower so they wouldn't be found.

"So the plan is that I will go out first and signal the coast is clear. It has been a while since I've gotten caught so I can take the punishment easier if they find me." Addison quietly told Dia and Richard. "Jazz and John will take Savannah to her dorm room then head to ours. Dia, you are on their radar pretty hard so after they leave, you two should head straight to the portrait hole. Sound like a plan?"

"Sure, sounds good." Richard said, his hand sliding down Dia's back and encircling her waist again. "I'll make sure she doesn't have yet another run in with the Slytherins. Promise." He smiled in such a way that even Sky felt comforted. He silently told himself to practice that look in the mirror when they got back to normality.

"I've found a fantastic book here that I really wanted to look through anyway Addy, so I think that will be fine." Dia said without ever looking up from the old pages.

Sky watched as Addy looked up at Richard who smiled at her again and made a slight nod. Addison nodded back and then walked back to the others.

Slowly Dia moved her left hand up and held onto Richard's hand that was around her waist. He moved in close, pressing his body up against hers and leaned close to kiss the side of her face, then ear, then her neck.

Beside Sky, Richie's body started to quake a little. Skylar thought about what would happen if Richie couldn't resist jumping out. He turned and saw the look on Jackie's face and understood the same thought was occurring to her.

After another minute they got the crying Savannah to stop sniffling so that they could leave. Addy opened the door slightly and looked both directions, and silently slid out the doorway, the click from the door not even audible.

At the middle of the room, John wiped the hair out of the red stained face of the girl trying to gain her attention. "Are you ready? You have nothing to fear, if anyone comes after us, Jazz will have it under control, okay?"

The girl reluctantly nodded and Jazz moved to the door as he glanced out into the hallway. "Addy signaled to go now. The coast is clear but it won't be for long."

Savannah whimpered a few times but John took her hand and led her to the doorway.

Nearby Dia reached her right hand up behind her and caressed the back of Richard's neck. Sky knew she was no longer paying attention to the book, but staring off into space, listening to the others leave and the door close.

It was a minute later that Richard carefully turned Dia around to face him. "When do you want to go? Right away or give it a few more minutes?" He asked the girl who was now peering into his soft brown eyes. Richard was only slightly taller than her. He rubbed her back and down her sides with his hands.

Without saying a word, she leaned in close, holding her body against his and met his lips with hers. The soft kiss lead to a deeper, more intense one as Richard breathed in heavily from his increasing passion. He held her tighter against him.

After what seemed like an eons, Dia pulled back and took a deep breath, her hands sliding down his chest and fiddling with his buttons on his shirt.

Richard's brown eyes searched her face. "Dia, what's wrong? Talk to me."

Words played around her lips, but she made no sound as if something was strangling them before she could say anything.

Softly he kissed her again. His hands moved aside her dress robe and he held her, running his hands the length of her torso, then slipped then under her shirt, touching the bare skin of her back.

Again she tried to say something, but instead just kissed him passionately, undoing the first few buttons of his shirt. His hands touched her sides, and slowly made their way to her stomach. She undid the rest of his shirt, pulling it aside and moving her lips to his jaw line and down his neck.

He sluggishly pulled back to stare into her eyes again. "Dia, are you sure about this? I mean…" his words drifted off as her green eyes locked with his.

"I just have this feeling that if it isn't now, it won't be… ever." She whispered almost like she was terrified to speak the words. "It doesn't make sense I know, but…"

"You know I love you more than anything. And I'll do, or not, anything you like. I'm just making sure this is what you want to do, not something you feel you have to do." His eyes never wavered from hers.

"I love you too Richard. I just want to live today like there is no tomorrow. We have now. And I want to take it."

He kissed her cheek and the side of her face as he spoke to her, his voice breathy from desire. "We have now. And we have tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that." He nuzzled her neck and nibbled on it with his lips, making her gasp. "We will have the rest of our lives together. But I love you enough to know that if you aren't completely sure right now, I can wait. I will wait for you forever if I have to Jacordia. You are my angel come to save me."

She went to say something in response but he abruptly cut her off with another passionate kiss and his right hand pulled on the waistband to her pants. His body pressed her back into the shelves, pushing the book back into the darkness and shoving a little wooden idol of a nightmarish monster off the back of the shelf, it falling to the floor and landing with a sharp crack.

Melody tugged at Cadence's robes and motioned for them to grab Richie and fall back before the boy did something they would all regret. His face was red and his lips almost blue. With a shock, Sky realized the boy was barely breathing.

Dia's hands finished undoing Richard's shirt buttons and grasped his belt buckle, pulling it apart as his hands fumbled for the front of her pants.

And that was when it became too much for Richie to stand.

In a flash the boy was up and running back the way they came. Only a second later Jackie was on his heels, trying to keep him from grabbing and throwing anything at his namesake. Melody had her hand covering her mouth, trying to keep from yelling.

After only another few steps, Jackie caught up with Richie and threw him against a large wooden crate, slapping her hand over his mouth and glaring at him not to make a sound.

On the other side of the shelves, the two teenagers had stopped moving and were listening intently for sound.

"Did you hear that?" Richard's voice was barely audible.

Sky's ears hurt with the strain of trying to hear any noise above the beating of his own heart. It was so loud that he was sure the others could hear it and would be wise to his position at any second. His vision swayed a bit as he held his breath in fear. Alexis looked terribly pale and Cadence seemed to have turned to stone.

After what was a painful eternity, Richard blew out his breath and turned back to Dia. "Come on. We'd better be getting back. The others will worry if we don't show up and might come looking for us." He said softly, pulling Dia closer to him in a hug.

She returned the hug, her arms slowly running up and down his back in absent minded movement. When he pulled her back away from him he moved his head to the side until he was able to catch her eyes.

"Hey, beautiful, where's my smile?" He coaxed her.

She looked hard into his face. "We should leave here. Tonight. Run away and not look back."

This seemed to catch him by surprise as he almost stepped back from her. "Leave? Tonight? You mean go get the others and all of us take off like the Weasly twins did last year?"

"With or without them. We need to run. Get as far away from here as possible. This is a horrible place and I want to go." She said with a touch of terror in her voice.

"Are you telling me you'd leave behind our friends, your best friend Addy, to stay if they didn't want to leave? Who would watch over those who can't defend themselves? What would I tell my parents? I have another year to go."

"I don't care about any of that. You don't have to tell your parents anything Richard. Come with me. Tonight."

He grasped her shoulders firmly. "Dia, we can't do that. Every time you get upset you want to run away. And often you do and I have to go find you at the tree house and drag you back here. Everything's going to be fine, you'll see." He shook her a little in a playful manner, trying to smile at her.

She stopped looking at him, her face despondent, her mind far away.

"Look, if it will make you feel better, as soon as we get back and I'm sure everyone in my dorm room is asleep, I'll transform and come to your room and curl up with you as a cat. Okay? We'll face the new day together and you'll see that everything will be great."

With a slow nod of her head she sighed. He held her close again for another moment and then guided her down the shelving and towards the door, only stopping to make sure they were presentable again.

Sky edged closer to the end of the book stacks and watched as Richard tried again to get Dia to smile. Her face was patchy and she didn't look well.

"As you say, let's be about it." He tried again to catch her eyes and get her to smile. "Come on Dia. Just think. In a few years I'll build you a house right next to the tree house you love so much. You'll be sitting in a chair holding our baby and looking out the window for me to arrive home. You'll see." He kissed her forehead and then cracked the door open to check for anyone lurking in the hallway. When he was satisfied, he held it open for her, kissed her once more and took her hand as they quietly stepped out into the hallway and was gone.

With his lungs burning from barely breathing and alternately holding his breath, Sky tried to stand up, only to find his hands were quivering and his legs threatened to give up. Alex, Melody and Cadence moved down the narrow walkway between the shelves to catch up with Jackie who had finally released Richie.

The boy had a dark look on his face and before anyone could say anything, the room spun out of focus and they found themselves in a new place and time.

It took only a moment for Sky to recognize the house's big nursery room and the big bay window that looked out over the tree house. There wasn't as much furniture in it as it held now. They were in the corner of the room, inside the jungle gym/fort that had once graced the room, but had been moved outside to the tree house's back terrace. They all crouched down as the shock that they were not in the room alone settled into their minds.

The squeak of the rocking chair made Sky's heart seize up, then start beating rapidly from apprehension. He looked to their left over by the window where a form in a black long dress sat rocking, holding a small bundle, and staring off out the window into space. In the window, a large candle stood lit, the wax having melted down after several hours of burning. The light danced slightly and gave off a solemn yellow glow.

The kids exchanged looks. They had told Sky and Alex about how every year Dia lit a candle and put it into the window in remembrance of Richard's death on the day he died at the Battle of Hogwarts. The young woman Dia sat watching the candle slowly make its own way to death, leisurely rocking the chair back and forth in an even, rhythmic fashion. Her face was a little pale, but not tear streaked. It seemed as if she was waiting for something that never came.

On the right was the doorway that was across the hallway from the main living room. They heard the front door open and close, and voices just beyond. Sky immediately recognized them as belonging to John and Addy.

"She's been in there all day. I can't get her to eat, or get up, or let me even take little Richie." Addy was telling John quietly. "I thought maybe you could get her to move. Or at least put Richie down. I know babies should be held, but she won't give him up. I'm sorry to call you back from the ministry, but I'm worried."

John appeared in the doorway and watched as his young wife rocked to and fro, not ever recognizing that he had come. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully then stepped lightly into the room, walking past the hidden children, unaware of his audience. When he got to Dia, he knelt in front of her, placing his hands on her knees and stopping the rocking.

"Honey, look at me." John said in a soft caring voice. "Dia, please look at me."

She slowly turned her face away from the window and candle and stared in his direction, but to Sky it seemed like she looked right through John.

"Can you give Addy the baby? He should be in his cradle resting."

"He's asleep. I don't want to move him." Dia said in a gravelly voice.

"You fed him already, let him sleep in his bed while you and I go out and do something. Just the two of us. You have barely been out of this house since he was born. You have friends at the ministry that would love for you to come over and see." John coaxed her gently.

"No, I don't want to leave Richie behind." She said as she tightened her arms around the sleeping baby.

"You aren't leaving him behind, sweetheart. He is in good hands. Addy will watch him and Harmony will be home shortly with the twins to help. He'll be in good hands."

"What if he gets hungry? Or cries? Or needs something?" She looked at the baby, then back up at the candle. She tried to start rocking again but he more forcefully stopped the chair.

"Listen to me love," he chose his words carefully, the worry evident in this voice, "Richie will be fine. Addison will see to it. Just come with me and eat something. We don't have to leave the house. I just need you to have something to eat. Can you do that? Please?"

"I'm not hungry." She said in a voice so far away it could have been a memory.

John drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay. Well I'm really tired and would love to take a nap with you and our son. Can you do that? Will you come with me?"

She looked back at him and seemed to think about it for a while. Finally she nodded. He tried to shift the baby out of her arms but she refused, holding onto him as if their very lives depended on it.

When she was finally standing, John steadied her and helped her walk out of the room and down the hallway. They heard Addy go into the kitchen.

Sky turned around and sat down, the stress of the events getting to him. The adrenalin in his system was still making him shaky but now that they were alone in the room it was getting better. He looked over at Richie who was sitting down with his arms wrapped around his knees, his head resting on them. Sky looked to Alex and then to the twins, and finally to Jackie, trying to figure out what to do.

They sat there for several minutes waiting for Richie to come around. The only movement was that of Richie spinning the ring around on his finger with his thumb.

As Jackie moved to the side, having apparently made up her mind to do something about it, they heard John's footfalls coming back up the hallway. He passed the open door to the nursery and stopped at the kitchen doorway. They heard the creek of the door as he opened it and heard his voice.

"She's asleep. I put Richie in his crib so if he stirs I'll hear him and take care of him. I just wanted to thank you for calling me."

Addy's voice barely echoed down the hall. "I thought you would want to know. I think it will get better after this day is over. How are you holding up?"

"I didn't go out today; it's hard not having Dia there. But since the baby came, she won't go to work. I'm not sure she'll ever become an Auror. She did great at the training, but then when Richie came along she won't ever leave the house. I have no idea what to do."

"I asked how you were holding up. You knew it was going to be difficult. But are you doing okay?" Addy prompted him again.

"Me, I'm fine. I'd be better if she's snap out of it." John sighed.

"She will eventually. She has you doesn't she? That's all that matters."

"I wish that was true. If I could only change the past..."

"If you could, you'd probably mess it up worse. If you saved Richard, then what? You two wouldn't be together. You wouldn't have that beautiful baby boy that is the spitting image of you. Don't fall into her trap of dwelling on the past. Help her see her future, the one with you, Richie, and being an Auror is in it. If anyone can do it, it's you."

Sky wasn't able to hear what he responded because abruptly a woman's screaming came from down the hallway.

"Oh, no, I left her sleeping alone…" John grunted as he ran back down the hallway to his wife. Sky heard the cry of a baby waking and knew that little Richie was awake as well.

The front door opened and they heard Harmony walk through pushing what sounded like a stroller. "Is that Dia screaming? Everything okay?"

Addison walked into the front room and from the sounds of it she was also holding a small child that she was bouncing up and down. Sky figured it was Jackie as a baby. "John just got Dia to lay down and he came in to talk to me for a minute."

"And she woke up." Harmony finished the sentence for Addy.

"Yep."

"I wonder when she will ever get over those nightmares of hers." Harmony said as she sat something down and started to fool with the stroller that held the twins.

"It only is bad if she tries to sleep without John there. I'm sure he didn't think being gone for a minute would make such a difference."

"Maybe you should make her another sleeping potion." Harmony said as she moved the twins into the room they were in.

Everyone but Richie crouched down again, fearful of being caught.

Harmony laid the twins on a blanket in the middle of the room and set toys nearby for them to reach for. Addy followed her in and set down little Jackie who was older than the rest.

"I tried it earlier but she wouldn't eat or drink anything." Addy said, handing the little baby a teething toy.

"Maybe you should go get Richie so he can play with the other children." Harmony said helpfully. "That would give John one less thing to worry about."

"I don't think that will work, she isn't giving him up. All she would do today is sit and rock him and stare out the window. That's why I called John from work."

"How about we ask all the guys not to go to work tomorrow and have an early weekend? Take the kids to the park or something together?"

"Oh not the park. Dia doesn't like the play equipment, thinks the kids will get tetanus or something."

"Okay, how about a road trip? Somewhere nice and sunny, far from the memories of Richard's death. France maybe?"

Addison stopped abruptly and thought about it for a few seconds. "Actually I think that's a great idea. I'll let the boys know via bracelet so they can start brainstorming. It will be good for us all to get out and see some sights."

"Hey, Addy, can you come here and help me collapse down this stroller, it's stuck again." Harmony asked and the two women walked out of the room and continued talking in the next.

Jackie nudged Sky to get his attention. Richie was looking up again, a determined look on his face. He shot to his feet as the room started to swirl and give away again.

This time they were in what seemed to have been an open field before it was taken over by sports fanatics. It was night and there were people walking around in the strangest getups, sporting banners and shouting in support of their favorite teams. A young buff man wore only a bikini that said the name of this sports team. Sky had the urge to walk closer to the man to read it but realized that wasn't a good idea. Another older man walked by wearing a spandex top and a poodle skirt. Sky had no clue what the man was rooting for and figured he really didn't want to find out.

Jackie turned to Richie and started yelling at him. "YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE PAST!"

Immediately Richie started off, "Yes I CAN! If mom NEVER met him, she wouldn't be in so much pain and she and dad would live a much happier life together!"

As Sky walked quickly to catch up, he was shoulder to shoulder with Cadence. "I don't understand," he said to the other boy as they trailed Richie and Jackie.

"This must be the World Cup finals. I recognize some of the area and people from old pictures. Aunty Dia, John, and mom and dad met Richard here. They were on their way to the concession stands by the camp they pitched when they ran into him. He was on his way there as well. I'm guessing that Richie intends to interfere."

"What could happen if he does?" Sky asked, trying to figure out the consequences.

"Who knows? Maybe nothing, maybe everything…" Cadence said with nervousness.

Out of the crowd they saw the young shaggy brown haired boy that Richard had been at the age of 12. He was cutting across their path when Richie moved to stop him.

"That's weird." Cadence murmured. "He wasn't heading towards the concessions. That way is the path to the British team's camp."

They caught up to Richie just as he stopped the slightly older boy. "Hey, you there." Richie called. The brown haired boy stopped in his tracks and looked around. Richie walked up to him. "Hi there. I need to warn you about something."

"Um, sure… uh what is it that I can help you with?" The boy said genteelly with the smile that Sky had seen before on the older version of Richard.

"Yeah, um," Richie stumbled around in his words, scratching the back of his neck in quick thought. "There is someone you should stay away from. Real bad stuff. Um, you haven't by chance seen an angry red head girl oh, about 11 years old around here have you?" Richie asked quickly.

"No, I haven't. Saw some disgruntled red headed men though because the ministry had to crack down on some of their more wild partying. I think their mascot has been harassing the two teams here tonight though. Is that what you are trying to warn me about?"

"Um, no, not that…" Richie was trying to think fast.

Jackie tried to drag him back away from the older boy. "Come on, we gotta go, before we are caught!"

"Well, anyway, the red head. Um, she's really angry you see. Yeah, really angry. You should stay away from her." Richie blurted out falteringly.

"Why is she angry?" Richard asked the dark haired boy who was looking around wildly.

"Um, well, she just is. Lost everyone in her family, very angry."

"Why would she be here if she doesn't have any family?" The brown haired boy asked, bewildered by the conversation.

"Oh, her and her friends are here watching the game. Aun- uh, her friend's mom gave them tickets to some of the lower seats and they can't see the game well so, um, she's not in a good mood. You better steer clear of her."

"Okay," the boy said, not sure of what was going on. He looked at the others who shrunk back into the darkness and crowd.

"You do know that sometimes the best opportunities start from a negative point. Just means you have more to gain, maybe a friendship. An opportunity in disguise." The older Richard said, smiling back at the younger Richie.

"Yeah but sometimes it just is bad. Nothing you can do about it so it isn't worth trying." Richie tried to convince the boy again.

"Maybe there is something I can do about it. I know many people in the ministry. My dad now heads an entire division. Is she a squib or something? Is that the problem?"

"Squib? Oh no, she is actually a very powerful witch. Or will be. Someday. Anyway, um, but that's not important. She's very mad and you should stay out of her way. Just trying to warn you."

"Does she go to Hogwarts?" Richard asked.

"Um she will when the school year starts. But that's not important."

"Are you going to start at Hogwarts too? Are you enemies or something?"

"Me, um, I'll be going there, uh, later. And no, we aren't enemies. Just someone who um, cares, I just think that this game is boring and, um, well, maybe you'll want to call it a night and leave early. That's all. Yeah, leave early. Nothing interesting here to see." Richie tried to smile his dad's winning smile but it faltered.

Is she a bad person?" Richard tilted his head, once again trying to get a glimpse of the others in the darkness. Only Sky and Alex didn't think to try to hide since they didn't resemble anyone Richard might possibly meet.

"Oh, no, not a bad person. Just bad luck as it were. She has a very good heart, just a very terrible temper. Which you don't want to get in front of. I'd leave for home now if I were you."

"So let me get this straight." Richard stuck his thumb in his belt and leaned to the left in thought. "You want to warn me because some girl who is very powerful and red headed is in a bad mood. And you are friends with this person and don't want to see anyone get hurt, am I correct?"

"Um, yeah, that's it. Just steer clear of her and you'll be fine." Richie smiled a bit brighter.

"Well that's really kind of you to care." Richard said with an ease about him that Sky admired. "One more question-"

"Oh my!" Melody exclaimed suddenly. "We have to get out of here, I saw our parents coming!" She grabbed Cadence and drug him farther into the crowd and out of sight.

"Sorry, gotta go! We wandered away and really have to get back." Richie uttered almost under his breath.

"Well it was nice to meet you, um, what was your name?"Richard shouted but Jackie had grabbed the back of Richie's shirt and arm and was hauling him off into the night as well.

Sky and Alex moved back away from the handsome young boy, but didn't leave. They saw Jazz ahead, and from the looks of it he was annoying Harmony for all he was worth. John was right behind them laughing at Jazz after Harmony kicked the taller boy in the shins. With a swift twist, she did the same to John. The boys were yelling about their legs as Dia and Addy passed between them and got ahead of the group. Dia was wearing an Irish tartan and boots, but the look on her face was heartbreakingly sad. Addy was sort of smiling at the boys antics who were trying their best to cheer the girls up.

The boy Richard had started away from the spot, still trying to figure out what the conversation had been about when he turned the direction Melody had indicated that their parents were coming from and came to another abrupt halt. Dia's fiery dark red hair was lit up brilliantly by a passerby who was swallowing some sort of fluid then spitting it out and catching it on fire. The light played on the young girl's face for a moment before plunging her features into darkness, only to be lit up again by the next bloom of flame. The sadness was evident on such a young soul.

Sky started to make out some of the conversation as the group drew nearer to where the boy Richard was standing.

"We should go over to that huge tent there!" Jazz was pointing excitedly in the direction of what was unmistakably a circus area.

"Are you crazy? There are clowns there." Addy sneered, smacking Jazz on the shoulder.

"The psychologist said I wasn't crazy, just special." Jazz said with mock defensiveness to which Addy just snorted. "Dia, don't you want to go see the clowns?"

"We have you Jazz," Dia sighed, "why would we need to see more of your kind?" She walked with her shoulders hunched over and her arms crossed protectively in front of her.

"We could always go back and watch the game you know," John said from behind.

"What game, we can't see a damn thing." Dia grunted, shaking her head. "I'm hungry. Addy and I made a run to Gringotts earlier today and I got out money so we should eat. I'm starving."

"Didn't you eat before you and Addy got to the tree house?" Harmony asked.

"Nah, the people I'm staying with now forgot I was even there and left for an early weekend. There wasn't any food at the house. Addy and I were going to eat at Diagon Alley but, well, we had to make a hasty retreat after what happened in the owlery."

"You should have said something, Dia." Harmony patted her on the shoulder. "Mom and dad would have fed you."

"It's okay. I've got money; I'm fine on my own." Dia shrugged it off.

"I wonder if we asked my Great Aunt Kathryn and Henry whom I'm staying with if you could just stay there. They let Jazz stay, and you are much more housebroken than he is." Addy said.

"I don't think they like me much. They see me only as the girl who gets you into trouble." Dia scoffed at the thought. "It would take the Minister of Magic himself to get that request through."

Standing directly in Dia's way was Richard who hadn't stopped staring at her since he laid eyes on her. When he didn't move, Dia stopped and looked up at him, her green eyes flashing in the light of the night.

"Well, hello." Richard said and smiled at her. "I'm Richard. Where are you all heading?"

With a suspicious look, Dia answered. "To the concession stands. The ones by the caretaker's cottage. They have doughnuts," she answered, then mumbled, "too bad they don't have maple though." She sighed.

"I was heading there too," Richard said, changing the direction he was about to walk. "I know the people who own that stand. Friends of my dad's. I bet I could get them to make you maple. If you don't mind me walking there with you all that is." He looked around at the others who gave him encouraging smiles.

"You are free to do what you want, Richard." Dia said then started walking again. Richard fell in step beside her. When she looked at him again, he smiled at her and got a small smile in return.

John stepped up beside him and Sky could hear them talking as they walked away. "Hi. I'm John, you've met Dia, and the person on her other side is Addison, and behind us is my cousin Harmony and our new friend is a Native from America named Jazz. Don't worry though, he may act weird but apparently his parents had him tested."

"Yes!" Jazz chimed in, "and the tests came back positive. For what I have no idea though."

Richard chuckled and looked up at the slightly taller dark headed boy. "Do you go to Hogwarts? I swear I've seen you all somewhere before…"

Sky looked back to where the others were and saw Richie fuming.

"Why didn't he listen to me?" Richie was grumbling. Maybe I need to go back farther in time. Stop him, or them, from even arriving. Go back to when mom was still in America and stop her from coming back till after the World Cup finals."

"You know what?" Cadence yelled back at him. "I've got an idea." He snatched the ring off of Richie's finger and slid it onto his own finger.

Walking past them was a group of men dressed up as Vegas showgirls who were drunk and singing "Always look on the bright side of life!" and trying to do synchronized kicks in the air.

Before Sky could point them out to Alex the scenery swirled and twisted and resolved into the back room of an old clock workshop. There were clocks in various state of working to taken completely apart strewn around the multitude of workbenches. From the side they could hear voices.

Cadence placed his finger on his lips and tiptoed closer to the doorway that was separated only by a heavy blanket.

A deep voice was explaining to another man about some kind of special clock he was making.

"You see," he said with eagerness, "this key with the blue hourglass will lead you back into the past, and this one, when I get it working, will show you the alternate path of a single decision. So if the headmaster or mistress of Hogwarts needs to, they can make more informed decisions and maybe, just maybe, we can make it so no other evil wizard enters the school again.

"Very wise," the other man said with an oily grace. "When will the clock be ready? I am eager to present it to the Headmaster Dumbledore myself."

"Oh, in time…" the old man said with a smile at his own joke in his voice.

Cadence turned to the others and touched the ring, turning it again.

After the few moments of disorientation that accompanied any trip through time, they were back in the Headmistress's office. It made Sky's heart jump as he looked around. Quickly the kids hid behind a large crate that sat to the side. They could hear people speaking on the other side of the office at the desk.

"Thank you for taking this off our hands Headmistress." A lean man was telling her. "I'm sure your groundskeeper will know what to do with it."

"It is our pleasure. He's been asking of late for several large old desks. Some project he is working on. He will be most delighted to have this one even if it needs much restoring first." She started to say when an owl arrived through the open window on the side of the room. It landed on her desk and Sky peeked around the corner to try to see. The owl lifted its leg for her to take a small package from.

"Well, a rather late delivery at this time of day, don't you think Headmistress?" The man sniffed into the air, miffed that he wasn't getting more praise for his contribution.

She took the note. "Odd. It just says that this was to be delivered to me specifically today and to just put it away in an old cabinet. I could swear it is Dumbledore's writing." She sighed, shrugged, and took the small envelope. After giving the owl a knut she turned to the cabinet next to her and stowed it away for safe keeping. Quickly she turned back to the thin man. "Why don't you come and share a meal down in the Great Hall. I'm sure it will bring back many fond memories of your stay here at Hogwarts when you attended."

The man picked up his hat and walked with her out the door. "Well, I guess I do have some good memories of this place. Amazing job everyone has done repairing this place after that terrible fire."

"Yes, it was quite amazing how the whole wizarding community came out to try to help rebuild after those terrible events." She closed the door behind them and the children could hear them continue to talk as they rode the spiral staircase down and out of earshot.

Cadence leapt up and ran to the cabinet, pulling out the small envelope. "I asked the ring to take us to where the other key for the clock was located last." He tore open the envelope and stuffed the remains into his pocket. "So, Richie, you want to see what life would be like without your mom having ever met Richard? I say we find out…"

Chapter 15

Choices and Regrets

The doorway had disappeared after they stepped back through it. Alexis stood beside Skylar, waiting for the two boys to finish arguing with Jackie about the second key. Alex was ready for this adventure to be over, but the boys wouldn't relent.

"We've already gone in once, and this is an alternate reality." Cadence was saying. "I think we should see where Richie's recklessness could have gotten us."

"Dumbledore had the key secreted away for a reason." Jackie shouted back, her arms knocking her art book she had left behind onto the floor. "I don't think we should tamper with it."

"It's just an alternate Jackie," Richie shouted back. "If you don't want to see it, fine. Stay here in your little world and color like a good girl while we go and find out the truth."

"Richie, this isn't a game." Jackie spat back, the hurt showing on her face.

"No, it isn't." Richie sneered back. "But I'm going to find out how much better our lives would be."

"And what if they're not? How will that make things better?" Jackie asked, but received no response.

As the three of them glared at each other, Melody stood to the side and bit her nails. Alex swallowed hard and looked to the window. For a second she thought there was a shadow, but nothing was there. She stared for a little longer, wishing to be away from the bickering. She understood why it was not something they did often. With so many children in the house, feelings could get hurt pretty badly very quickly.

She could tell it was stressing Skylar out as well. They had grown accustom to these kids not really having it out. When they did, it made both Skylar and herself feel like crawling away to hide.

Her gaze came back from the window and to the clock. Her mind was trying to tell her something about the time of day, but she couldn't hold onto it as Jackie started screaming at the boys.

"Why do you two have to be such pig headed morons? Just like your fathers."

Richie's body went ridged, and Cadence snapped back. "What did you say? Are we going to go down that rabbit hole Alice?"

Alex could tell Jackie was just as shocked by what she said as the boys were. But she was afraid to back down.

Quickly Cadence twisted around and handed the key and ring to Richie, never taking his burning eyes off of Jackie who was ashen. The boy's hand clicked the key into place and turned the hands again. The doorway appeared.

"You're either with us, or useless." Cadence growled back. He turned to Richie and nodded. "Let's get on with this thing."

As Richie slipped the ring on, he mumbled, "I want to see what happened if mom didn't come back to Brittan before the World Cup finals and therefore never met Richard Horner."

The bright white of the doorway flickered and they could see inside their own house again. Much of the furniture looked a little different, but it was obvious it was the front room. Richie looked both ways then ran through the doorway and beyond.

Cadence quickly followed him. Melody stopped and held Jackie for a moment. "I know what you were trying to say to them, but they weren't listening. But in everything, we stay together, right?"

Fighting back tears, Jackie nodded and looked at Sky, then Alex.

Clearing her throat, Alex mustered all her courage to sound confident. "We watch each other's backs. Even when someone puts a knife in it, right?"

Jackie smiled weakly and they all headed for the open doorway.

Quickly looking around the room, Alex headed for the hiding place the others had chosen. A new sofa was in the living room away from the wall by a few feet so the children slid behind it just as the doorbell rang. They heard someone coming out of the kitchen and walk to the door. As the door opened, Alex recognized Addy's voice.

"Hello? Can I help you?" She asked as she shifted a small child of about four on her hip that was babbling softly to herself.

"Mrs. McPherson?" the man at the door asked. Alex shifted position slightly and was able to see a tiny bit of the doorway. The man outside was rather short but impeccably dressed.

Richie perked up, waiting to see his mother enter the room.

Addy spoke instead. "Yes, that's me, what can I do for you sir?"

The children all glanced at each other, then over to Richie who was frozen in disbelief.

"Good afternoon ma'am. I'm from the Ministry. My name is Mr. Isaac Roberto. May I come in?" The squat man asked politely. Alex could have sworn it was the same short man that had often come to get Dia and John for Auror duty.

"Depends," Addison said a bit defensively, "on what this is about."

"Well, it is about your friend Miss O'Shields. I think this would be better if I came in and spoke to you in private."

With a deep sigh, Addy opened the door farther and let the man in. As the man sat down on the very couch they were behind, Addy set the small child down on the floor in front of her opposite the man, and handed her some toys to play with.

There was exhaustion in her voice. "What has she done now?"

"Have you heard from your friend as of late?" The man asked, taking off his bowler hat and setting it down next to him.

"Not in quite a while actually."

"When you did speak with her, did she say what she was doing, where she was going? Did she act different in any way?"

Addy leaned back in the chair she was using and shook her head. "Are you kidding? She hasn't been the same for a very long time."

"How so?" The man said, leaning forward and listening intently.

"Well, as you probably know, when Dia was ten she went to America to stay with her crazy uncle once removed. We had been so close we were family back then." Addy's voice took on a far away tone, longing for the past. "It about killed me to have her leave. We got to speak across a white board we had set up in the tree house."

"Tree house? Is this whiteboard still there? Could you communicate with her from it again?" the man prompted.

"No, the tree house is gone. John tore it down to build his garage and hobby shop on the spot."

Jackie almost gasped at the thought but caught herself at the last moment and instead clapped her fingers to her lips.

"Oh, too bad. But go on."

"Anyway, while she was in America she met Jazz."

"That would be her current traveling companion, Mr. Jasper Whitehorse. Yes, I have questions about him as well."

Addy snorted. "Ask all you want. Don't know how helpful I can be. After they both started school at the Salem Witchcraft Academy I barely got to talk to Dia. We grew apart. It felt like a part of me was dying inside. That's why I started dating John. He was there for me. Well sort of…" Her voice was sad for a moment then she went on. "The battle at Hogwarts happened several years later, John and I had helped get many of the kids to safety. I was in so much shock afterwards that I sent an owl to ask Dia if there was a possibility of her coming back to Brittan. She said her and Jazz would come back since her uncle was tired of bailing them out of trouble and Jazz's tribe was about to disown him anyway, but they needed a place to stay. I should have realized that it was a warning."

"Yes, we've heard reports that the trouble started not long after her arrival to America. I've read report after report. The two of them were left to their own devices all too often. I blame the lack of supervision over them."

"I would blame their active imaginations and low threshold for rules. They fed off each other, looking for more and more 'interesting' things to do. Those two were something else when they arrived back." Addy sighed again, like a deep hole in her spirit was present. "Dia never seemed to be her old self when I saw her again. She used to fight with bouts of despair and anger from so many people she knew having died. But she was different. Somehow she filled the void with innocent mischief at first, but quickly it escalated till my great Aunt McGonagall herself had enough and kicked them out of school only a year later. I think the final straw was when her and Jazz summoned an entire graveyard of ghouls to the school and let them wreak havoc on Halloween. They seemed to think it was a riot. I tried to talk to her, tell her that she needed to get her head straight and stop hanging out with Jazz. He had already started living basically on the street having upset the people I was living with by enchanting the entire kitchen to sing every time anyone walked in there. And making it near impossible to take out the garbage without it coming back in the house and giving you a lecture on recycling."

She shook her head again, and shifted around in the chair, looking out the window as the small girl continued to play quietly at her feet.

"They took off to go see the world. Something Dia and I had talked about since we were young. They both came back to England for the wedding of Harmony and Bill, and of course John's and my wedding, but looking back, I wish they hadn't."

"The weddings. If I remember correctly, during the Denbrough wedding the two set loose a gaggle of geese that ended up attacking several guests, eating the cake and making a mess of the place." The short man recounted.

"Yes, they said they couldn't find swans so they got geese, said they were trying to make it romantic. And during my marriage to John they showed up with a crowd of wizards who were so rowdy that we had asked them to leave. Some of them dressed as clowns even! Our vows had to be said twice. I still wonder to this day if Dia did it on purpose. She had liked John a lot and they even slept together once or twice at Hogwarts when him and I were on the outs. Of course he slept with about everyone back then. But I thought she'd be happy for me, but I still think she harbored resentment. Looking back, I wish she had just kept him…"

"Excuse, me, but what do you mean by 'kept him'?" The man tried to clarify.

"Oh, never mind." She dismissed offhandedly. "Anyway, every once in a while they pop in here but they don't stay long. Last I heard they were headed to Egypt for some reason that I don't remember. Which is fine by me. With little Jane here to take care of, and another one on the way, last thing I need is those two overgrown children causing trouble."

"Well, they are more than overgrown children ma'am. The Egypt thing they mentioned to you ended up being very bad indeed. They broke into a crypt and stole some very ancient artifacts from a previously unknown Pharaoh whom we now believe was an ancient wizard. Very bad stuff. And we have our hands full enough coordinating with the American Wizarding Consulate over the whole Wizard's Heart Affair. Too many wizards from every corner of the world have been swallowed up and replaced by that one, we don't relish the idea that your friends have in their possession some very dangerous dark magic. They've been known to sell dangerous items to bad folk. The last time they were in the area they met up with Bob Stanton and quite a few dangerous potions hit the black market."

"How do you know they were from Dia and Jazz?" Addy countered.

"The two had knocked over a store in Morocco and among the other things they stole, they took the whole stock of decorative spiral bottles. The potions have been showing up in those same bottles."

"Well I don't have control over Dia, Mr. Roberto. I don't know what you want me to do." Addy's voice was growing testy.

"Your husband is an Auror, is he not?"

"Yes." Her voice had become frosty.

Mr. Roberto cleared his throat. "Well, I was hoping to enlist his help if I may. I have heard that he sometimes still receives an owl from the two fugitives once in a while."

"Fugitives?" Addy reacted to the word.

"Yes, ma'am, they are considered wanted criminals in several countries. It took us a while to piece together that they were the ones responsible for a wave of bank robberies around the world. They have learned how to become anamagi. She becomes a raven and he a squirrel. The wizards in Germany almost caught them after it was discovered they liked to hang around in animal form to watch the police scratch their heads and laugh. They had since escaped."

"Well, I'm not surprised." Addy said looking back at the man. "Let me guess, money gets deposited into random accounts as a gift?"

"Yes, we believe they donate the money to different relief organizations around the world. But it is still a crime; the money was not theirs to donate." Mr. Roberto sniffed.

Addy just harrumphed and said nothing.

The man went on. "So, back to the subject at hand. I'd like for either you or Mr. McPherson to send an owl to Miss O'Shields and see if we can't lure the two of them back here for capture."

"You are asking me to be bait?" Addy's voice was incredulous.

"Well, that's not the way to look at it…" the small man stumbled around his words. "Think of it as helping out your country, the world really, and saving those two from themselves. Or perhaps a fate worse than death."

"What, like marriage?" She snarkily replied.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean Mrs. McPherson." The man replied.

He scooped up his hat from the sofa beside him and stood up, making the hidden children crouch lower to avoid being seen. Alex wasn't able to see the other children's faces to which she was thankful. They all had the look of becoming increasingly sick.

"May I talk to your husband about this matter please?"

They could hear Addy snort, but she finally spoke. "I think he's out in the garage avoiding having to help out around the house. Go down the short hallway and out the back. Can't miss it. It's where dreams went to die."

The man hesitated, but then bowed slightly to Addison and walked the way she had indicated.

Addy continued to sit and Alex guessed stare out the window for another minute as they listened to the small child play with her toys. Suddenly Addison stood up and rushed to the door.

With a much brighter voice Addy called out the doorway, "Harmony! Glad you could come over!"

They peeked over the end table at the side of the couch they were behind and watch as a short cropped blond haired Harmony came up to the door and give Addy a hug. For the first time, Alex was able to see Addison's huge belly.

"Getting close to that time I see." Harmony smiled, patting the other woman's belly.

"Nice to see someone's excited about it," Addy commented. "Come on in."

"Are you kidding?" Harmony said as she came in and sat down almost exactly where the short man had. "You are so lucky. Two children! I wish Bill and I would have been able to conceive."

"You can have this one," Addy said as she sat back down, nudging the toys back in the little girl's direction.

"Oh, Addison, you are such a kidder." Harmony said more softly, but after a moment her tone was more serious. "What's wrong? You seem distant."

"Oh, some ministry man is out talking to John about Dia and Jazz. Wants him to send an owl for them to come here so they can apprehend the two. Apparently their new idea of fun is grave robbing in Egypt."

"Why am I not surprised. I never told you, but for a while I had a thing for Jazz. He was so handsome and funny. But so out of control."

"Yeah, those two. Never could find a home to settle down to. Sometimes I wish she had never gone to America and met him." Addy sighed again, rubbing her belly. "I miss her so much, but the Dia I knew I think died long ago."

"Well at least you have a nice home, a cute little girl and another one on the way. John is a wonderful Auror. Bill brings home stories of some of his more daring rescues. You think he'd turn on Dia and Jazz though?"

Addy shrugged. "He might just do it just to sleep with her again I'm sure…"

"ADDISON!" Harmony gasped. "How can you say that?"

There was a few moments of silence before Addy spoke again. "I know you like to think the world of John, he's practically your brother, but… well… remember Sandy from Potions?"

"Sure, didn't she marry that wounded boy, the one who got partially paralyzed at the Battle of Hogwarts. What was his name… Richard… Richard Horner?"

"Yep, that's the one. Well I guess it was well known around the ministry that Mr. Horner wanted to be an Auror. But after the battle he was injured so badly, I guess Sandy felt sorry for him and married him."

"She works as the secretary in the Auror's office, doesn't she?" Harmony tried to remember.

"Yes she does. And here's the real rub. I found out that all those extra assignments that Sandy sends Richard here to get John are bogus. I have it on good authority that he's been… he's been… oh, Merlin's beard it's hard to say out loud. He's been having sex with her."

"NO!" Harmony gasped again. "How do you know?"

"Two other Aurors caught them at it a few times. I found out from them by accident. And got it confirmed from another source. Not that it matters."

"Of course it matters!"

"No, not really. The last time we even had sex was when he knocked me up. And when he's home, he's out in his shop doing who knows what, or running off on Auror stuff. He is more of a roommate then a husband. Other than he pays the bills."

"At least he does that…" Harmony said sadly. She took a deep breath. "Bill lost his job at the ministry. His carelessness kept getting him into trouble and he wasn't performing his duties much anyway. Guess he was spending too much time off gossiping with the rest of the ministry."

"Oh, Harm, I'm so sorry to hear that." Addy tried to console the other woman. "I'm sure he'll find another job soon. You'll see."

Harmony just shrugged. "Oh who knows. I've been thinking of moving in with mom and dad for a while. You know, just till we get on our feet again."

"With or without Bill?"

The blond woman just shrugged again.

They both sat in silence for a while, watching the little girl play with her blocks.

"So," Harmony finally broke the silence, "How's little Jane doing?"

"Fine. She is a good girl. Hasn't shown any magic tendencies yet though, but the doctor didn't seem to be worried."

Suddenly there was a loud knock at the door. Addy got up and answered it.

On the front porch stood an unmistakable Richard. Older than he ever got back in their own reality and leaning slightly to the left.

"Hello again Mrs. McPherson." The brown haired man said. It broke Alex's heart to hear his voice this time. Before, when they had met him at the World Cup finals, it had been full of life and a deep timbre. When he spoke this time, it was quiet and devoid of life.

"I need to talk to your husband."

"Come on in." Addy said, moving back.

"Um, no thank you. I'll wait here if you don't mind."

There was a loud banging of the back door and they could hear the heavy footsteps down the hallway. John entered the room and headed straight for the front door.

"What is it Rich. Another false alarm you've come to get me for?" John almost sneered.

"Your partner, Mr. McCoy, is waiting at the ministry for you. He has a lead on the creature smuggling ring you've been after. The dark wizard lives on a pig farm outside of London. Word has it that the place is unattended at the moment. He wants you to help him raid the place while the wizard is away."

"Fine," John said with much impatience. "I'll meet him back there in a minute or two. You can handle that message, right?"

The brown haired man didn't respond. Alex peeked out from behind the couch as much as she dared. The man Richard held his left arm in a strange way, the clothes not seeming to fit him on that side. Richard nodded his head slightly, then carefully turned on his bad leg and limped out a few steps before he dissapperated.

"John," Harmony admonished, "why did you speak to him like that? That was rude."

"Oh, please," John swaggered over to the closet where he grabbed a black robe, "that rube can't do anything right. I happen to know. Have to clean up his messes all the time. Get the things done he can't."

There was no more words spoken as John made sure he had his wand. He nodded to Harmony, "Good to see you again cousin. Don't be a stranger. Maybe Addy won't be so moody later tonight after seeing you."

A few steps later and John was out the door and gone.

Harmony cleared her throat in an attempt to think of something to say. "So, Dia and Jazz are on the lamb. Not surprising…"

"Hmmmph." Addy sat in her chair, not moving.

"Have you thought of writing or maybe doing more of your art? You used to draw and paint the best pictures. I think you'd be great."

"Nah, what good would that do. Just a waste of time and money."

More silence.

Finally Harmony couldn't resist it. "So do you think Mr. Horner knows what is going on?"

"That's who I confirmed it with. He came to get John because McCoy wanted to see him about some stupid thing John had rushed in and done the day before but John was gone. That's when he told me he knew where John probably was."

"That's terrible! Why doesn't he leave her?"

"For what? What other woman will have Rich? He's a cripple and won't even stand up for himself anymore. At least Sandy still goes home and takes care of him. For that matter, you should ask yourself why I don't leave John?"

"Well, you have kids…"

"Big deal. He rarely even plays with Jane. He used to be more interested but as the years go by, he seems to care less and less. I've always been here for him, waiting around since back in school. Remember how he'd break up with someone and immediately come back looking to hook up with me again? And I was so stupid, I fell for it every time. I just wanted something to hold onto. I was always there for him, waiting. It was stupid back then, and it's stupid now. He's all I really have. If I left, then what? You have your mom and dad to move back in with. I have nobody."

The room filled with the noise of crushing silence as Alex hugged her knees to her, wishing to leave. It made her sick to be here. This wasn't how life was supposed to be.

She glanced up at Richie and the others and was shocked to see the tears in their eyes and streaking down their faces.

In a small voice Harmony almost whispered, "I guess Dia and Jazz really do have it better."

"What, as criminals?" Addy snorted derisively.

"No, as free people. Doing what they want, when they want. Whatever makes them happy."

"Yeah," Addy growled, "until the day fate catches up with them and they are gunned down on the street like mangy dogs. Dia always said she never expected to grow old. She'd rather be dead then held captive in a place like Azkaban."

"Isn't that better than dying the slow death here?"

The two women fell back into silence again. After what seemed like ten years worth of nothingness, there was a soft but firm knock at the door.

"Is this grand central station today or what?" Addy snarled and went to the door, yanking it open.

"Mrs. McPherson?" Said a voice on the other side of the door.

"Yes, it's me Marcus. Hello Maria. Why don't you two come in. Have a drink. I was about to open up a bottle of wine anyway…"

Alex recognized the voices of Marcus and Maria Smith that she had met out camping and then again at the Halloween party.

They walked in the door and Maria closed the door behind her softly.

Marcus cleared his throat. "Addison, we are here because of some bad news. You'll want to sit down."

"I was already getting ready to sit down, being pregnant sucks." Addy sighed as she sat heavily in her chair again.

"It's about John." Maria said softly.

"That idiot got himself hurt? Serves him right. Mrs. McCoy went on and on for two hours last time there was a get together at their house about how John loved playing the hero and would run in and try to save the day and get the glory while not waiting for his backup. I hope a pig bit him."

"John and Mr. McCoy arrived at the farm, but they weren't alone there. McCoy said John saw the dark wizard running to the barn and took off after him."

Addy snorted, "Sounds about right."

"Well, as Mr. McCoy tried to catch up, the dark wizard took out a little bottle that looked to him like the purple stuff that cleans moss off gargoyles. He recognized the spiral bottle too late. Your husband was killed by the fog of death. I'm very sorry Addison."

There was shocked silence then suddenly the kids could hear Harmony sobbing. Then in a rush, Addison shot to her feet and ran out of the room, her footsteps echoing down the hallway and the back door opening and closing.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith ran after her, and Harmony started to, but then came back in and grabbed the small child. She turned and took off down the hallway towards the back door.

Jackie jumped up and ran down the hallway also. Alex yelled as loud as she dared, "Jackie, what are you doing?"

The hallway was only a third as long as she remembered it. Instead of many doorways leading to bedrooms, there were only two on each side. Alexis watched as Jackie approached the back door, then started weeping, holding her fists to her face.

"What's happening?" Sobbed Melody who was crying full force now.

They got closer to the back door, but no one looked out the window with Jackie.

"I think mom's destroying the garage that is out there. She's throwing things and… and…"

They all could hear the scream that Addison let out from the back yard. It was a terrible scream, one of anger, pain and despair. They listened as the sounds of Addison's rage permeated the doorway, offset by shouts from Harmony and the cries of the little baby girl.

Jackie spun on her heels to face Richie who was so pale his skin was almost see-through. "Now are you happy? Their lives are ruined, we were all never born, and your father is dead. Is that better? Huh? You got your wish. Dia never met Richard. Are you satisfied now?"

The dark haired boy stood there, stock still, his tear stained cheeks flush in contrast to the rest of his pallid skin. He just stared at Jackie wordlessly.

In a quiet broken voice Melody whispered, "I want to go home now Richie."

Her twin brother wrapped his arms around his sister and hugged her tight. "I think it is time to go. Don't you Richie?"

Slowly, numbly, Richie nodded. His finger touched the ring and the bright doorway opened again.

Alex turned to it, stepping through it, but what she found on the other side made her let out a short scream.

In her way on the other side of the shining doorway was Devon and Damien Stanton, smiling.

"You are in BIG trouble." Devon sneered.

"Yeah," Damien added, "no one can save you from being expelled now."

Alex looked in horror around the room as the other children joined her and stopped, gasping. The whole family was there, children and adults, and no one looked happy, no one smiled. McGonagall stood nearby, her face grim.

The doorway blinked out of existence as they stood, rooted to the spot.

Alex could see the look of disappointment on John's face and her heart sunk. Even though he was looking more at the other children, most notably Richie, when his glare fell on her she wanted to die.

It made Alexis flinch when McGonagall cleared her throat. "Why don't you six come over to my desk. We have questions for you all."

With wooden legs that almost refused to carry her across the room, Alexis jerkily moved in the direction of the desk.

With obvious enthusiasm and relish, Damien quietly sneered again, "You're gonna be expelled. And you called us losers. Ha! From now on you'll be known as those freaks from that crazy house that all got thrown out of Hogwarts."

"Yeah," his brother Devon continued, "we followed you to the office but didn't know the password. But thankfully Jacordia's drawing pad left on the counter could be seen from the window. It was all the proof I needed to get the teachers here to listen to me. Don't think your family can save you this time, you filthy…" he cut himself off, afraid he could still be overheard by an adult.

Alexis was too afraid to speak. But apparently Jackie was not.

"You little worms. Crawl back into the manure pile you came from!" She shouted a little too loudly.

Addison, who was handing Callen the baby Serenity, glared at her. "Jacordia Denbrough, I think you should hold your tongue. You are in enough trouble as it is." Her eyes shifted to the Stanton boys. "And you two need to move away from the others. I would suggest you stand over by the window, especially since you are quickly turning into peeping toms."

The boys both gave the woman a dark look but did as they were told, moving away from the rest of the children to the far side of the room. Devon couldn't help but mutter under his breath. "Just you wait till my father finds out about all of this. We'll see how high and mighty you are all then."

"Your father," Dia pronounced loud and with a firm voice for all to hear, "Is in jail awaiting transfer to Azkaban for his criminal ways. I suggest you keep your comments to yourself. You are here only as a witness to the whereabouts of the others and nothing more. Any more muttering or threats and you will be excused. Is that understood." It was not a question.

Even Alex couldn't swallow from fear.

The two boys stood beside each other quietly, but flicked amused looks over at Alex and the other children, enjoying the drama.

"Where to start-" McGonagall started to say but at that moment all the parents started talking, yelling, and demanding to know what was going on, what the clock really was, and what was going to happen to their children.

Her body shook with tremors of trepidation as McGonagall tried to get them all to quiet back down. She looked over at the younger twins who had tried to move closer to their older brother and sister, but were prevented from doing so by their mother Harmony.

Callen sat in the corner on the floor holding Serenity who was thankfully quiet, staring up at the adults and quietly sucking on her fist in nervousness.

Ember had her arms attached around her father's leg, pressing the side of her face into his thigh. He rested one hand lightly on her hair. Colonel laid at his feet, ears down, head resting on his paws.

Gypsy was in her father's arms, her hair the same dark black color of her mother's. She had her little hands wrapped around Billy's neck and practically had her face embedded in his shoulder, peering out in fear at the anger that was erupting around the room.

Alex realized she was staring at two eyes that were peeking out of Gypsy's pocket. Even Bob was too afraid to come out.

Again Alex looked up at John but looked away when he glanced at her direction. She noticed that Dia hadn't even looked her way, instead was staring at McGonagall, or over the elderly woman's shoulder, she couldn't tell which. Alex trembled again and Sky put his arms around her, comforting her as much as he could. She knew he was as terrified as she was.

As McGonagall struggled to get Jazz to stop shouting at the top of his lungs another voice hung around the room, but no one could make out the works through the chaos of sound reverberating off the office walls. Jazz was gesturing and livid, Alex met Jackie's eyes and she saw fear in them. Melody was crying again, her brother still holding her. Alex was fairly certain they had never actually seen their father raving mad angry and it scared the hell out of them. Harmony had to reach out and put her hand on her husband's shoulder in order to get the big man to calm down.

Farther away, Billy was also yelling but Addy looked at him with her arms crossed and he quieted down quickly. John was still yelling but Dia did nothing to stop her husband from showing his anger and frustration.

"If you will permit me," the gentle voice said again from somewhere in the room, "Mr. McPherson, I think I can shed light on this subject. We saw the whole thing."

John's eyes looked from the headmistress to the picture frame over her shoulder on the back wall. The image of Dumbledore stood there, leaning jauntily to the side, next to that of Richard. His face was a little brighter, but concern was etched on the younger man's face. John straightened up a little more, holding Ember's head a little firmer to his leg. "Richard? Headmaster? You knew they were in here and you just let them go into the clock? You have any idea how dangerous that was?" the dark haired man growled, still angry but his voice more restrained.

"I'm sorry John, I knew they were heading this way, but… but…" Richard's likeness started to say but was interrupted by Dumbledore.

"But I wouldn't let him stop them."

"Why? Are you out of your mind? Or whatever is left of it that is in your frame?" John asked, incredulous.

"They had to go into the clock. It has already happened and it could not be stopped. You can't stop the past. It's already happened. So why all the shouting?" Dumbledore said with a smile and a twinkle in his eye.

John's eyes narrowed. "You want to try that again without the riddle, Headmaster?"

"I think the children should tell you what happened." Dumbledore said, smiling down at the frightened group of kids.

"I would like to suggest that the Stanton boys offer their testimony first so they may be excused." Dia said in the silence. She still wasn't looking at any of the children from her house, but to McGonagall.

"Oh, all right, but I think we already know all they have to say." The headmistress waved her hand at the boys. "Go ahead."

Damien cleared his throat, happy to finally get to speak and have everyone's attention. "Well, my brother and I have always known those kids were up to no good-"

"Please," Dia's voice was razor thin, "stick to just the facts as they pertain to this case."

Again Damien cleared his throat, a little longer this time. "We stayed the night last night because, well, there was a delay in our getting home. This morning we went to have a late breakfast and overheard the others coming into the great hall. Suddenly they all took off down the hallway and my brother and I decided to follow them."

"So you admit to stalking our kids!" Jazz bellowed out. Harmony's face contorted as if she was worried she was going to have to attempt to restrain the large man. Jazz's thick arms flexed with unspent energy.

"No sir," Damien struggled with his voice that suddenly wasn't so sure of itself, "we just figured they were up to something and we, um…"

Alex had always known Jazz was a hunk of a man without an inch of fat on his body. But as he swelled and seethed in rage she appreciated how much damage a fearsome Jazz really could do. It had never occurred to her till this moment though since he spent most of his time trying to entertain, instruct or just plain make others laugh. For a moment, the image of Jazz and Dia on the run, that much pent up anger and talent, she fully understood why the alternate reality ministry was concerned about the two. She shuddered at the image.

Sky's arms held her tighter.

Dia's voice cut through the air. "Jazz, let the boy speak. The kids will get their turn soon enough." She hadn't shouted, in fact the words were from a normal level, but the impact was clear. Jazz crossed his arms and didn't say anything. He had become a silent wall of a human, glaring into the depths of the two boys on the opposite side of the room.

This time Devon spoke up, his voice more firm, but not with his regular sneer. "We followed them to the hallway outside this office, but we lost them. I thought I had heard the gargoyle stone scraping stone and we guessed they went into this very office. But since we didn't have any proof, my brother and I tried to figure out how to get that proof. We knew the headmistress was gone and it was on our honor as students of Hogwarts to find out and turn out intruders. We were trying to help you Headmistress." Devon bowed slightly at McGonagall who just raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

He went on. "It took us a while to figure out how to get up to the window, but finally we borrowed a broomstick from a friend who wasn't using it as he was away for Christmas vacation."

"In other words, he stole someone's broomstick." snorted Billy. The corner of Addy's mouth turned slightly up but she didn't react.

"So using the broomstick, which we have of course returned, I was able to look into the window behind me," he turned slightly and gestured at the closed window, "and I saw the notepad and bag of quills and ink sitting over there on the glass countertop that belongs to Jackie, and had been in her hands when we followed them up to the outside hallway. We knew they were in her office. I just couldn't see where."

"That's only because you couldn't jimmy the window open I'm sure…" Billy murmured.

"Thank you Mr. Stanton. And… Mr. Stanton." McGonagall said looking down the bridge of her nose. "I think that will be all we will be needing from either of you. You are free to go."

"But, um, Professor, er, headmistress," Devon said with a quick glance at Harmony and Jazz, "we'd like to stay and see this out since it was us that brought it to your attention."

"I think it would be better if you went about your own business from this point on. We thank you for your time. You are dismissed." McGonagall said with a hint more force in her voice.

The two boys scowled, but the look on the other adult faces made them decide to scurry out quickly. Addy stepped closer to the door and made sure the boys both went all the way down and out, the gargoyle closing behind them. She quietly shut the door with a click.

All eyes returned to the group of six children.

"Now, for your story." McGonagall said with a slight sigh. "What would behoove you to go into a magical device without knowing what it could do to the lot of you?"

No one responded.

"How about if I go first." Dumbledore said with a wink to the kids.

Alex watched as Dumbledore's likeness surveyed the parents around the room.

"I remember once," he started to say in a voice that said he was harking back to long ago memories, "of a group of precocious students who once, well, I wouldn't say 'broke in,' but I'd go as far as to say they found an interesting way to enter this very office. If my memory serves me correctly, someone left a rather unique bag down in the library with a note pinned to it that said "please deliver to Headmaster's Office."

Billy shifted his feet around uncomfortably and John scratched the back of his head in thought. Jazz and Harmony exchanged glances but Dia and Addison stayed cool, the only hint of recognition was the tug at the corner of Addy's lips again.

"So of course it was brought to my office by one of the house elves, they are ever so astute, aren't they? Well, it just happens that the bag had several students, all of whom happen to be in this very room. When I arrived after taking a fantastic walk with Hagrid to see the mer-people, imagine my surprise at finding these same students still in my office? They were playing a round of poker. So of course I had to do what I had to do…" he trailed off, looking around the room.

Callen couldn't take it. "What did you do?"

"I'm glad you asked young man!" The picture smiled down through his half moon glasses at the boy. "I had them deal me in of course."

"Deal you in? You didn't punish them?" Callen was slightly aghast.

"Of course not. They had the burning desire to retrieve something that was very important to them. They disturbed nothing else but their item. And a good game of poker was very refreshing."

"What did they retrieve?" Callen asked with a slight smile. Dumbledore had that way with kids Alex decided.

"Well now, I guess that is for them to say." The elderly man in the picture frame said softly.

"It was Richard's necklace he had just given to me the day before." Dia said with an even tone. "It was stolen from me and I wanted it back." She provided no further details, and none of the other adults offered more information.

"And I must say you are a fantastic poker player Jacordia." The old headmaster smiled at Dia who only raised an eyebrow in response. "You however," he looked to Jazz, "were not. And I'd hazard a guess you haven't gotten any better now have you Jasper."

With a wily glance, Jazz shifted back onto his heels, a little less upset.

"Ah, but I digress." Dumbledore sighed. "I have to admit, I'm partially to blame for the current dilemma you all find yourselves in. You see, back when I was still alive, I was being harassed to go watch the World Quidditch Championship games with a very good friend of mine. And as she was going on about the players, the scores and such I found my mind wandering. And out of thin air swirled these children. I of course was intrigued. It was obvious to me that they had not apperated or used any conventional means of transportation. I saw this remarkable black headed boy touching a very special ring that I recognized. Immediately I knew what I had to do."

Callen figured out the game and asked the question hanging in the air. "What did you do?"

"Nothing of course. I knew the ring was from the clock. I watched from afar as the boy stopped and talked to my good friend and current frame occupant here. Of course at the time I had no idea that the boy was destined to die…" Dumbledore said with more than a hint of sadness. "But I did think it was fascinating that this other handsome boy was so earnest to talk to the other. Seemed in rather a rush actually. And then in their hurry to run off I saw that yet another group of children all the same age were heading their way. It was absolutely enthralling! Much more interesting than any sports game I would say."

"Why?" Callen prompted the elderly image when he paused.

"Because, the children that were on their way had a striking resemblance to the children who had just arrived from another time. Why would they stop to talk to one who didn't look like any of them, and yet flee those that they did? Utterly captivating." Dumbledore said with a passion.

By this time Callen was in a full smile, quite taken with the elderly man. "But how did you know they were time traveling?"

"Well now that was of particular interest to me, especially since I, myself, had taken a trip once in the very clock that hangs on the wall! It was when it was first brought to me and I hadn't quite realized the full potential, or threat, that the clock had. After my trip I vowed to never use it again and hid both keys so no one would be tempted to use it. So imagine my surprise as I stood there and saw the very ring of time on the boy's finger! It occurred to me I had a part to play in the tale."

By this time the adults had all calmed down and were listening intently. Melody was no longer sobbing, but intrigued by the story.

"If you had the keys, then how did they get away from you?" Called asked with a grin, prompting more of the narrative.

"Well you see, I figured that eventually I would know when the time was right to give up the first key. But my time, sadly, was running out. I decided to let go of the keys, safe in the knowledge they would be returned, and then ask Minerva here to destroy it at a preconceived date. Which, by the way, we now know to be tomorrow. I knew I couldn't do it before as it would unravel what was meant to be. If the dark haired boy didn't meet the other brown haired boy, then he may have never met the red head that the brown haired boy was smitten with upon sight. See? I knew the blue key would find its way to the proper hand and I set up a special delivery for the other with instructions on what to do with it so it would also be found as I had a sneaking suspicion the second key would be needed as well."

"We know that the first key took the children back in time," John said, much calmer now, "but what was the second key for?"

"I think your bright and brave boy can answer that for you." Dumbledore trailed off and gave Richie a significant look.

"It was for an alternate universe so to speak. It shows you the change of one decision can make."

"One decision?" John asked the boy who braved a direct look at his father.

"We went into the past, because, well, because we wanted to see things, such as the first time Aunty Addy and Uncle Billy met," he said, not seeing Jackie flinch, "or the real story about the Army Surplus Store that Uncle Jazz tells and mom shakes her head during. But…" Richie's voice gave out. He looked around to the others for support.

Jackie found his lost voice. "And we wanted to meet Richard." She said with as much bravery as she could muster, looking at all the adults in the eye. "We have heard so much about him, but we wanted to actually meet him. And we did. The night of the World Cup finals. He was walking off in the wrong direction. He wasn't heading to the concession stands. He only did that after we stopped him and talked to him. And then we had to run because all of you were coming, so we backed away. That's why you met him."

Deep in her heart Alexis was thankful Jackie didn't say what he was intending to do that night. She dared a glance at Dia whose eyes had gone from stone cold and hard to lost in a moment of time.

"Afterwards," Jackie continued after a few moments, when we talked, Richie asked if he could see what would have happened if Aunty Dia had never met Richard. So we used the time ring to find the last place the red key was. Which was the day it was delivered to you, ma'am, by owl. We were hiding behind the crate with the desk in it."

McGonagall nodded but didn't speak.

"And with that, we left the clock and used the second key asking it to take us to the world where the two had never met." Jackie sucked back a sob, but Melody, who was only a foot away, was less able to. The girl's lip started to quiver.

John's eyes went from girl to girl, and to Alex herself who was shocked to find a tear streaking down her own face. "What did you find out?" He said in barely a whisper.

"John," Addy said softly, "I don't think we need to know."

"It's okay mom." Jackie tried not to gulp in air as she spoke. "It was awful. You were married to Uncle John."

"Well now, I WOULD say that was awful!" Billy tried to joke, but then lapsed back into quiet at the sideways frown from his wife.

"You don't understand." Jackie tried hard not to whimper, but tears were wetting her cheeks as well, and Melody was back to crying. "Daddy was married to Aunty Harmony and he lost his job and they didn't have kids, and mommy and John had a girl but by four years old she still hadn't shown any magical ability that we all showed way before then and the Wizard's Heart was making some evil wizards in America be able to take over and Aunty Dia didn't come back from America till after the Battle, and by that time her and Uncle Jazz were already on the path to being criminals that ran around and knocked over banks and donated the money and robbed ancient unknown pharaoh wizards and they made the Fog of Death and…and… and Uncle John was cheating on mommy and he went to the pig farm and was killed by the Fog. He's dead mommy, he's dead! And soon Aunty Dia and Uncle Jazz! They wanted to die young and free and it was all wrong mommy, it was all wrong!" Jackie broke down into tears as her mother swept her into her arms and her father rubbed her back. Even Gypsy patted her head, tears in her eyes.

Melody ran to her mother and put her arms around her waist as she was held, and Cadence did the same with his dad. John held his hand out to Alexis who took it and was pulled into a hug that made her cry even more. Next to her, Billy reached out and hugged Skylar to his side.

Richie was still standing there, now staring up at the image or Richard who was watching him in return.

"I'm sorry Richard," the boy said, his eyes getting misty, "I know you loved my mother very much. But after seeing the other side, where you didn't meet her, and you didn't die, well…"

"It's okay Richie," the portrait of the long dead man smiled, "I'd easily trade my life again. It's worth the price of Dia's happiness, John's life, and stopping the Wizard's Heart."

The boy nodded as his mother reached him and pulled him into a smothering hug. Richie finally broke down and started to shed tears as his mother slowly rubbed his back and rocked him back and forth in the same rhythmic way she had in the rocking chair so long ago.

The soft but deep timbre voice of Richard spoke again. "I'm sorry for upsetting you Dia, and all of you. I knew I should say something the second the children stepped into Hogwarts and I suddenly recognized them not only as your children, but as the kids whom I met so long ago one dark night at a game that brightened my existence. I'm sorry I let you down, but-"

Quickly Dumbledore cut him off. "But, you see, I wouldn't let him." The elderly man placed his hand on Richard's shoulder. "Things had to play out as they needed to. All is as it should be."

"I understand why you allowed the children to go into the clock the first time," Addy admitted, "but why the second?"

"Because," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief, "they needed to see what might have been. It often helps when you can't see what is."

"Well," Billy laughed, wiping a tear or two out of his own eyes, "I see becoming a photograph hasn't made you any less cryptic than you were when you were alive."

Several others chuckled as they hugged children.

"Well, you see," Dumbledore waxed in his tired voice, "As a photograph you'd think I'd see things in more of a black and white way, but actually it reminds you that death, as with life, is lived in shades of grey."

"Yep, clear as ever." Jazz laughed, the anger gone from his voice and his eyes. He smiled at his children. "You really went to the Army Surplus Store?"

The twins both nodded. "Yep," Melody said, "and we saw how you accidently started the whole place to collapse."

"And you actually tried to help Sky get out." Cadence finished.

"Really?" Jazz gasped with amusement, "Skylar, you were the boy in the smoke?"

Sky nodded enthusiastically and smiled a little, still standing with Billy's arm around him.

"Wow, that's totally awesome." Jazz giggled. "You're lucky though, I almost picked you up and threw you over my shoulder on my way out, but you were suddenly gone."

"Which was fortunate for us," Dia added, her voice a bit gravely at first but got stronger as she spoke. "If you would have come out with someone over your shoulder, I'm sure the Army would have assumed you were taking prisoners."

There was another smattering of giggling as even the younger children felt comfortable enough to laugh.

In a small voice, Alex could hear Richie whisper to his mother. "I'm sorry that I was so mean about you ever being in love with Richard. I was a jerk and I really am sorry mom. He was a good guy though." He turned his head up to her. "He was really taken with you from the moment he saw you, walking along that night. And later I saw how much he really did care for you."

Dia wiped the dark locks of stray hair from her son's face as she caressed his cheek and the back of his head. She nodded in understanding then pulled him close again, holding him tight, her arms completely encircling him. "You are so much like your father," she murmured softly to him, "but you also have Richard's kindness. He had a way of always seeing the best in people and situations. He was able to see beneath my anger and pain and bring out the person who was buried within me. When I was angry, he had the patience of a saint. When I pulled away, he followed and waited for me to turn around again so he could be right there for me."

"And," Jazz said with a sad smile, "he was the one who helped us both to understand where the line was between amusement and the law." He matched eyes with Dia and laughed. "Remember in our first year, when we came across the nest of pixies? We wanted to put them in Filch's office but Richard wouldn't let us?"

"He wouldn't let you leave the hinkypucks in the girl's bathroom either." Billy added.

With a grateful voice, Addison grinned. "I was personally thankful when he talked the two of you out of setting Peeves on the Minister of Magic when he visited the school. I can't imagine how that would have turned out since it also was pie day at the school."

"That was nothing compared to the time when they got their hands on the bag of Alihotsy leaves." Harmony giggled. "If they would have been successful putting them into, what was it you were trying to bake honey?"

"Brownies," Jazz answered her. "I came up with the idea, Dia suggested brownies, so that if anyone ate them, they would end up in total hysteria for an hour or so. I thought it was brilliant but Richard, well…"

Harmony nodded, "Thankfully Richard talked them out of it."

Richie looked confused. "Why didn't dad try to talk you out of it?"

"Are you kidding?" Dia shook her head. "He was the one who told us how to get to the ovens down in the kitchens."

"Hey, you asked me that when I was thinking of something else. Not fair!" John laughed.

"Oh, yeah," Addy chuckled in amusement, "what was her name?"

"Mindy, Mandy, Molly… um, gosh I don't remember what her name was, just how well her sweater fit her." John tried to think back as the others laughed a little more openly.

"Well," the headmistress McGonagall said in a flabbergasted tone, "I suppose it is a good thing I didn't catch you all doing those things. There would have been trouble." There was a hint of a smile playing around the corners of her eyes and mouth.

"If it makes you feel any better," Richie said from his mother's arms, "you did get to expel them in the alternate reality. They set a bunch of real ghouls loose during the Halloween feast."

"Well, I'm glad that in this world, they had the good sense not to do that. But I hope you aren't getting any ideas Professor Whitehorse." McGonagall looked down her nose at the big tanned man.

"No ma'am," Jazz smirked. "I would NEVER think of doing such a thing. Well, NOW I would NEVER think of doing such a thing since you already know about that one…"

There was another smattering of laughter that died down into quiet reflection.

Alexis finally pulled her head back from leaning on John and looked up at him. His dark green eyes shown back down at her. "Are we going to be expelled?" She whispered.

He looked back up at the headmistress, who answered instead. "No, no one is going to be expelled Miss. Parker. This could have been stopped by several adults but it was not, so no, I think you have all learned something of real value." She said in a conciliatory tone. But then a hardness appeared in the edge of her voice. "But I do expect you all to be on your best behavior from now on, and no more sneaking into my office. Is that understood?"

She stared at each face and the children all nodded to her in earnest.

"Good, I think we'll call that settled then." The elderly woman clasped her hands together.

Ember, who had up until this moment, had been holding onto the back of her dad's robe, suddenly burst forward. "My turn!" She said to Richie.

"What are you talking about Em?" He asked the little girl who was growing impatient.

"My turn in the clock!" she crossed her arms in front of her. "You were supposed to let me and Gypsy go with you. I want to go. My turn!"

"No, my little firebug, I think there has been quite a bit of trouble tonight. It's time to go home and for it to be destroyed." John tried to reach for the little girl, but Ember took a step out of his reach.

"NO! It's MY TURN! I found the key! I get to go next!" She demanded again.

"I said no." John's voice was a little more harsh. "Time to go home."

"I WANT TO GO INTO THE CLOCK!" Ember yelled, stomping her foot. "MY TURN!"

John's voice snapped. "EMBER! I said NO."

"But daddy-"

"NO Ember!" John crossed his arms and glared at the little girl.

It took the small girl a moment to process it, and tears jumped to her eyes. "Fine! Destroy the clock. See if I care." She glared back at her dad. "I hate you!" she screamed and ran to the door, opened it and ran out and down the stone stairs.

The look of shock and hurt radiated across John's face. Dia reached to place a steady hand on his shoulder. Richie stepped back away from his mother, forcing her to let go of him. "Don't worry dad," he said as he walked to the door, "Ember didn't mean it." He too, disappeared out the door, running down the steps to find Ember.

It was obvious Dia was torn between following after her daughter and son or staying to comfort John who looked like the sky had just fallen.

With another squeeze, Jackie let go of her mother as well. She turned to her Aunt. "Don't worry, I'll go after them." She smiled at the red headed woman. A moment passed between them then broke as Jackie headed out the door.

As Dia slid into her husband's arms, Addy smiled. "It will be okay John. You'll see. Nice to see you really do know the word no."

He smiled weakly at her as Alex walked quietly to the door and slipped out. She headed down the stairs and out into the hallway, turning her head left and right, searching for signs of the three. On the left she heard the little girl crying and Richie trying to comfort her. Alex headed that way and a few yards away, behind a set of armor, she found the little red head crying on Richie's shoulder as he was crouched down, holding her.

"I'm so sorry Em," he was saying, catching Alex's eyes as she approached. "I know you really wanted to go. If it weren't for you we'd never have found the key in the first place."

Sinking down to her knees, Jackie patted Richie's back. He smiled weakly at her. Jackie cleared her throat. "Come on Em. It's alright. We really are sorry you didn't get to go, but I don't think you would have liked it much anyway. We couldn't speak, or touch anything because it could change the future. By the time we went into the clock, it had already happened. You were never destined to go, but it was thanks to you that we did, and that way Richard stopped long enough to meet your mom. So thanks to you getting the key, you helped make sure you were born."

The little girl sniffled but looked over at Jackie. "I never thought of it that way." Ember spotted Alex standing there.

"Yep, thanks to you and Gypsy harassing everyone to find the clock, you both insured that your mom would have a better life. This family is together because of your diligence and determination." Alex said with a smile. "And trust me, you didn't want to see how it could have been. Jackie made an understatement when she said it was awful."

This seemed to make the little girl happier a she straightened up and started to breathe better, stifling many of the sobs and rubbing her eyes.

"I suppose we better get back in there." Jackie said to Richie.

"I can't, daddy is mad at me. He hates me." Ember said, then her lip quivered and she began to cry again.

"He doesn't hate you Ember," Alex softly spoke. "I could tell, it hurt him to tell you no just as much as it hurt you to hear it. He adores you Ember."

"But I told him I hated him," she said, and tried to add more but Alex couldn't understand it through the sobs that wracked the little girl's body.

"I'm sure he knows you didn't mean it." Richie held the child again, trying to calm her down.

"Everyone says things they didn't mean from time to time," Jackie looked at Richie, putting her hand on his shoulder. "But the people we love know that we love them still and didn't ever mean to really hurt them. All we can do is ask for forgiveness."

"I agree." Richie said with a smile back to Jackie. "Those that are truly important always understand. I know I do."

Jackie squeezed his shoulder and stood up as they heard footsteps from down the hall. Everyone was coming out of the headmistress's office, holding various children.

Colonel was walking at John's side as the man had his arm around his wife's shoulder. He gave her a quick kiss and hug, and then dropped his arms to reach down and scoop up Ember who immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and continued to sniffle into his shoulder.

"Come on my little firebug, let's get out of here." He patted her back softly and turned to Addy. "Where to?"

Billy was holding Gypsy again but it was Bob who popped out of the child's pocket and yelled at the top of his lungs, "HOME!"

The laughter echoed down the hallway. "I agree with Bob, I think we can safely go home. The storm should be over by now."

"In more than one way," muttered Richie.

"Home it is." John smiled and looked at his wife. "Home sweet destroyed, overcrowded, noisy, and possibly the most perfect place on Earth, home."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." She smiled back.

As they walked down the hallway, the whole family together again, Jazz started snickering to himself.

Addy's voice echoed down the hallway. "Jazz, whatever you're thinking, don't even THINK about it."

Alexis marveled at how good it felt to laugh with family again. And to go home.

Chapter 16

The Rabbit Hole

The ever imposing gate of the Legion of Dynamic Discord popped into sight as Richie apperated with his mother and Skylar. The others soon followed till the line of people stretched down the walkway and up the porch.

Before Jackie went in, Richie saw her look at the plaque by the front door. "Something wrong Jacordia?" Richie leaned over and whispered, making Jackie take a second to recognize her own full first name and that he was talking to her.

Oh, just thinking about something Richard." She said, then immediately turned to him. "Oh, sorry, I know you don't like being called by that."

"Actually, I think I like the name. So that's alright. You can call me Richard anytime you want."

It made him feel better to see her smile back at him as her mother grabbed for the front doorknob.

"Okay everyone. Brace yourselves." She said and threw the door open.

Inside, instead of mounds of snow and ruined furniture, there was in immaculately decorated house with garland, ornaments and the ceiling was giving off the impression of it snowing even though the room was warm.

They all walked inside in silence, stunned by the tidiness of the room. The bookshelf was in order, the walls were scrubbed, and even the spots on the floor were removed. On the end table was a tray filled with brownies, cookies, and other assorted tasty treats. Even the couches and chairs looked like new.

A little elf wearing a neat lacy pillowcase came out of the kitchen holding a tray of hot coco mugs. "Welcome home. I hope your evening went well. I have made you all something to quench yourselves and a late dinner will be ready shortly. I hope this pleases you." The little elf's voice was amazingly sweet and feminine.

"Pleased?" Addy snorted. "I'm thinking the words overjoyed, satisfyingly shocked and flat out ecstatic don't do enough justice to how I feel right now." She turned and cupped her hand to her husband's face. "Thank you for the wonderful gift. I'm sorry if I was angry. You were just trying to be incredibly thoughtful and sweet." She gave him a long kiss and hug. When she pulled back from the embrace she winked at Billy. "And as long as you play your cards right, you might just get lucky later tonight."

Richie held back a huge grin as he heard his dad lean over to his mom and whisper, "Well at least he can't knock her up again…"

His mother placed her fingers over her mouth to keep from laughing.

The little elf produced a deck of cards and offered them to Billy. "Here is a deck of fresh cards for you to play right. They have four leave clovers so you will be lucky indeed."

At this, Billy's face turned several shades of red as the others could no longer stop themselves from laughing.

As Jazz helped everyone get their mug of coco, the elf bowed and started for the kitchen. Billy set Gypsy down but Bob immediately jumped from her robe pocket wearing a lacy pillow case himself, made some clicking sounds, gave a wolf whistle and a few "rawl rawl's" and headed for the kitchen.

With confusion Richie asked, "Wait, I thought Juliette was for Bob. What did we miss?"

"Oh," Gypsy grinned, "Bob decided that Juliette was too manly for him and fell in love with Tiki." She grinned with Ember who was petting Colonel who sat by her side. "We were hoping Sky will still help with making Bob a Tiki Goddess dress. I think Bob would love that for Christmas."

"Sure thing. I've got several ideas in mind already." Sky acknowledged. "What do you think Alexis?"

"I think I've never felt so glad to be home ever before."

"Welcome home Alexis." John said, patting her shoulder. "And you too Skylar. Welcome home."

"Wait!" Jazz burst out, shooting up from the couch he had just sat down on. "I've got a great homecoming idea!"

Everyone yelled at the same time. "No Jazz." Then started laughing.

"Hey everyone!" Called yelled as he came running back down the hallway. "It's snowing in the back yard!"

They all headed down the long hallway with its many many doors on each side and walked out the back. The elf Tiki was on the bottom step of the porch and was waving her arms. "I heard that Master Jasper wanted a white Christmas. So I made one here for you all to enjoy. I hope that meets with your approval."

"Yes it does," Billy said, nodding enthusiastically at the small, delicate elf. He looked back up in time to get a face full of snow.

Jazz was already bent down getting another snowball ready to throw.

John glanced at Billy. "I think we can take him, right?"

"Absolutely." Billy agreed, and then they too jumped off the porch and started throwing snowballs at each other. The kids all joined in as well.

"Strange that it isn't colder out here," Dia said trailing from the steps next to Addy, still sipping on her coco.

The elf looked up at the tall woman. "Mrs. Dia doesn't like the cold, so Tiki spelled the snow not to make anyone cold and the air to be fair so no one will be cold."

"Tiki, I think Bob isn't the only one who is immediately smitten by you." She smiled back down at the elf, who stuck out a leg. Bob was holding onto her shin, his arms and legs wrapped around her leg.

"Tiki hopes that anyone else will refrain from attaching themselves to Tiki or Tiki will have a hard time getting anything done."

Addy, Harmony and Dia giggled as the rest of the family played in the snow, built snowmen, forts and even a large ice dragon in the yard between the house and the Tree house.

It made Richie's heart soar to see the old tree house, and couldn't imagine not having it there. He was thankful that this version of his dad hadn't destroyed it.

"Thinking about the tree house aren't you." Jackie interrupted his thoughts as she walked over to him.

"Yeah, I was just thinking how awful this yard would look without it."

She nodded. "It was weird. I saw the garage that was built. A big, horrific edifice that was wrong in every way. I like the tree house much better."

Richie couldn't stop himself from asking what was on his thoughts. "Do you think he did that because mom never came back for him? It was his tree house after all but it was her refuge, her only real home."

"Who knows?" Jackie shrugged. "But I'm glad it is here. Oh and I have something for you."

Richie turned to look at Jackie but she was faster. She got the snowball down his shirt before he could react.

"Oh, am I gonna get you!" Richie growled but laughed as he grabbed some snow and tore off after Jackie who was running across the yard giggling.

Two words echoed in his mind. _Home indeed._

** Christmas came and went with all the normality it could in the house. Billy spent most the morning stuck in the chimney. His attempt at coming down the chimney dressed at Father Christmas had failed. The children were shocked. Not that someone was stuck there, but that is was Billy and not Jazz. It took some time, but Addy found a shrinking potion. This was much to Bob's delight as it caused Billy to be the same size as Bob. Dia was overly pleased with this, as Bob thought the belly dancer outfit was a perfect fit for Billy. Of course Harmony was ready with her camera, and soon there would be new pictures to hang in the hall. Billy wasn't very happy with this, but it was to his great pleasure when he returned to his normal size, while sitting at the dinner table. Dia covered Gypsy and Embers eyes, John covered Dia's, Bob covered Serenity's and the older girls covered their own. Harmony snapped photos until Jazz thought it wasn't fair. That Billy got to have all the fun this Christmas and started to take his clothes off. It was at this time Addy pulled Billy away to put some clothes on. All in all it was a pretty normal day.**

**It was late morning, on New Year's Eve and Jackie was outside helping her mother take down the few remaining decorations. Addy was obsessed with making sure all the Christmas decorations were down and put away before the New Year. As Addy pulled the wreath off the door, she tried to brush away some of the dirt on the sign that had been hung there so many years ago. As she wiped at the sign, some of the paint flaked off. **

** "Well, nothing lasts forever." Addy said with a heavy sigh. "I hate to take it down. It has been here since we built the house."**

** "No mom, some things do last forever. They just never stay the same. Everything changes and maybe it's time for a change." Jackie hugged her mother and smiled up at her. Addy couldn't help but see Billy in her daughter's tender smile.**

** "You're right Jackie. I think it is time for this one to change, and I think you are just the one to make it." She removed the sign and handed it to her daughter. "It's all yours. Think you can have it finished by tonight?" Jackie squealed with delight. **

** "I think I can, but you can't tell the adults. I want it to be a surprise!" Jackie clung to the sign as she opened the door and ran to her room. **

**Once inside Jackie taped a piece of paper to her bedroom door. "Keep Out!" was all it said. She did this on days before, when she'd had enough of the family and wanted some time to herself, though she hadn't used it much this holiday. She pulled out her things and took inventory of her supplies. She had what she needed, and set to work. She removed the old paint with a sad heart. Even when she was most unhappy with being home it was still the first thing she saw every time she entered. Once it was all gone she smoothed the piece of wood with a bit of sand paper. She knew that she could do it magically, but there was more satisfaction in doing it all by hand.**

**She had just finished the fresh base coat, when there was a tapping at her door. **

** "Is everything okay in there?" It was her father. She waved her wand and preformed a quick dry spell on the paint, then threw a sheet over the easel on which the sign now rested. She dumped everything from her art bag on her bed and spread them around flipping open a few sketch book. She did this quickly and opened the door for her father.**

** "Yeah Pops I am fine. Just wanted some quiet time to draw." Jackie smiled at him. It had been some time since Billy had really looked at Jackie's room. Walking in he felt like he was sneaking into some secret garden. The walls had been painted with flowers and trees. And unusual animal here and there. The ceiling had been painted darkest blue, and above him fairies danced among the moon and stars. **

** "I can see why you like it in here." He sat on the edge of the bed and picked up one of the sketch books. "Do you mind?" He asked.**

** "No, you can look." Jackie was trying her best not to rush him out. She didn't want him to think she was up to something. Billy flipped through the pages. The first pages were portraits of Sky and Alex. By the expressions they held he figured it must have been on their first night at the house. He flipped a few more and found one of Jazz sitting on the beach with the littler kids, surrounded by seashells. Billy smiled. Again he flipped a few more pages. The next one made Billy's eyes blur with tears. It was he and Addy, when they were dancing in the kitchen of the tent. He looked at his daughter. **

** "You know you are very good." He brushed away a tear from his cheek. "Don't tell your mother, but as talented as she is, she wasn't this good at your age."**

** "We just have different styles. Mom uses pictures to help tell a story, and I tell a story by drawing a picture." Jackie winked at her dad. "You can have that one if you like." Jackie took the book from her father and carefully tore the page out. Billy stood up as Jackie handed him the drawing. He kissed her on the cheek.**

** "Ily Jackie." He said as he walked toward the door almost mesmerized by the drawing.**

** "Ily Daddy." She replied as she followed and shut the door behind him.**

**Back to work. She flung the sheet off of the easel, and started sketching. First the lettering, then the picture. As she worked she could hear the traffic outside the door. Now and then she would hear people stop and discuss the sign on the door. Soon they would move on. Jackie was lost in her work when there was another knock at the door. **

** "Who is it?" she barked. **

** "Um. It's John. Your mother has sent me with some food, and Dia made me bring you a warm sweater. Can I come in?" Was the answer she got. **

** "Just a sec." She quickly turned the easel away from the door and plopped down on her bed and picked up one of her sketch books. "Okay, you can come in." John came into the room. In one hand he held a plate of Jackie's favorite finger food; in the other he held a dark green cardigan. He gave her the sweater first and after she had put it on, handed her the plate of food. **

** "Everything okay Monet?" John rubbed the stubble on his chin.**

** "Yes Warden, everything is fine. I'm just taking some time to draw. I am enjoying the quiet. I know tonight is going to be anything but. Did you see that crate of fireworks Uncle Jazz got from his friends in China? You did remember to put up the sound barrier?" Jackie looked up at him as she popped a few of the grapes from her plate in her mouth. John's eyes got big. He turned toward the door. **

** "I just remember, I have some things to do." He laughed. "Good thing you reminded me. Dia would have my hide if the muggle police showed up again. Last year I just knew they were going to take Jazz off to the nut house!" John waved as he shut the door behind him. Jackie waved back and waited for him to shut the door. Once it clicked she went back to the easel. **

** Jackie was just about finished when the chime and vibration from her bracelet almost sent her through the roof. The message scrolled across. It was Melody. **

** "_Are you ever going to come out of there? Cadence and Richie are driving me crazy. They seem to think you just don't want to spend time with us. Your mom told me what you are doing, said I couldn't tell the adults. I decided not to tell anyone as it is so hard to tell just who the adults are in this house."_ Jackie sent a message back.**

** "_Almost finished. I will send a message soon." _Jackie put the finishing touches on the sign and then used an enchantment spell she had learned. She cleaned up the supplies she had used. She was surprised that John had not said anything about them when he came in. So much for constant vigilance. Once everything was in its place Jackie sent a message to the whole family.**

** "_Would everyone meet me on the front porch please? I have a gift for the whole family to bring in the New Year." _A reply came a few seconds later; she could tell her mother had sent it. Her loopy and elegant writing made everyone's look like they had dipped a spider in ink and let it crawl across the bracelet.**

** "_We are all on our way there. See you in a few." _Jackie grabbed the sign, draped the sheet over it and headed for the front door.**

**Everyone stood on the front porch, or at least tried to, as Jackie opened the door. All eyes were on her. She hung the sign on the door, leaving the sheet on it.**

** "Well I am glad you all could make it." She smiled. "I know it was a long trip." A nervous laugh slipped out. "As you can tell the old sign that has hung here since the house was built is missing. It wasn't looking so good, and was in need of some repair. Mother asked me if I could fix it. I hope you all like it." Jackie pulled the sheet from the sign. No one said a thing. Looks of confusion crossed their faces. Gypsy was the first to say something. **

** "Jackie, I think you forgot something, it is just white. There is nothing on it." She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head. **

** "Well come on up here Gyp and knock on the door." Jackie stepped aside as Gypsy come forward. Gypsy knocked on the door. The sign went into action. The words "Welcome to the Home of Discordia's Children" appeared. A white rabbit, holding a pocket watch ran from the left side of the sign. As he ran a forest appeared on the sign. At the right side was a hole. He stopped and looked around, and then jumped in. More words appeared on the sign. "We hope you enjoy your trip down the rabbit hole." All of the characters from Alice in Wonderland appeared in the forest, and waved. Each of them looking a little like someone in the "family". The last words appeared on the sign. "Where nothing is at is seems, and nothing seems as it is." The sign then went blank once again. Everyone clapped. This made Jackie smile.**

** "As you can tell I took my inspiration from mom and dad's wedding pictures. I thought it was fitting. We live in a home full of wonder, and we know that Curiosity often leads to Trouble." Jazz giggled. Jackie smiled. "And well I hope you all like it." Harmony made her way forward. **

** "Well I don't like it!" She smiled at Jackie. "I love it! Mostly because I don't have horns in this one, but it is "WONDERFUL"! Everyone told Jackie how much they liked the sign as they all went back in the house. Billy was the only one left on the porch. He stood there hands on his hips, head tilted looking at his daughter. **

** "What's wrong Dad?" Jackie asked. **

"**Why do the turtle, the rabbit and the door mouse all look like me? It is a bit concerning, but it is great." Jackie breathed a sigh of relief.**

** "Dad, you are the rabbit. For reasons I won't go into." Jackie wiggled her eyebrows at him. "The turtle is Gyp and the door mouse is Serenity." **

** "Very funny Jacordia!" Billy crossed his arms and shook his head at her. Then her grabbed her in a bear hug and drug her into the house, shutting the door behind him.**

Epilog

Another drawing sat on the table, dark and sinister. Jackie sighed again and stared out the window, thinking about the shadow she had seen the last night of their 6th year at Hogwarts. The bright summer sunshine flowed into the window and tried its best to cheer up the monstrous image that haunted Jackie's waking dreams, and stole into her nightmares night after night.

She thought again about telling the others, but she didn't want anyone to think she was losing her mind. Or that she had hung out with Uncle Jazz one too many times for her own sanity. No, she thought firmly yet again, she would figure out what was bugging her soon enough after the hot days of summer gave way to the windy fall and their 7th and final year at school.

The wind tugged at the edges of her drawing, trying to drag it off the table and into the garbage where the other dark pictures ended up. She let it on a whim, her eyes following it as it skittered softly from the table but missed the trash completely as it crawled on limbs of air across the floor towards the door, scuttling like a crab. She sighed again.

The room was quiet since the other kids had followed Ember out to the kayaks to race. Only Richie had stayed, pouring over the atrociously large tome he had received for his birthday earlier. He was the last of the older kids to turn 17, and he was excited about the trip his dad hinted at to finish the summer out. Ever since the journey through the time clock six years ago he had become interested in what hidden wizard Pharaoh his alternate mother and Uncle Jazz had discovered. Jackie had to admit, after that day and finding out all the information Richie's parents had uncovered about fake antiquities, she too had become rather fascinated with magical archeology. But finding the Pharaoh had become Richie's private obsession.

He sat on the other side of the room, his nose stuck in the book and a quill writing magical notes for him on a notepad that sat on the coffee table not far away. He had taken to wearing his jet black hair a little longer these days, the wind pulled its invisible fingers through his hair, tugging and twirling the ends playfully. He still was unmistakably the son of John, the deep thick hair, the dark green eyes. But more often than not he had started reminding her of his namesake. Ever since Richie had come to terms with his mom having loved the man he was named after it had been like Richie had turned a page. It had made her secretly smile when Richie decided to learn to wield a sword because Richard had been an expert, and she didn't mind the shaggier hair either since it seemed to fit him well. But what really bothered her was how he was becoming so easy to be around, his smile was becoming more and more the kind of thing you wanted to see, how when he was trying to think fast, he'd drag his fingers through the dark locks and scratch the back of his head in the same way his dad did.

She quickly turned back to the window and looked out at the ocean, trying to push away the strange feelings she had that she couldn't figure out. The water lapped at the edges of the shore, dancing and frolicking, asking her to come out and dip her feet in it. They were at a private island in southwestern France. Le Moulin de Parcoul was the name of the estate that they were spending two weeks at ever since school had let out. It was a special favor from friends at the ministry who were thankful for Aunty Dia's and Uncle John's help with a nasty situation involving an abominable snow creature at a Swiss Ski resort. The chateau was located in Parcoul, in Dordogne, France and it was fantastically beautiful. She had hoped it would get rid of the strange shadow monster that kept invading her thoughts, but even in the peace and quiet of the beautiful island, it once again snuck back in her thoughts.

At least it was harder for her mind to wander back to the thing of smoke and silhouette when the whole family was about making a raucous noise.

No sooner thought then it happened. A voice shattered the silence.

"All I'm saying is that it would be nice to come to France just once without you three getting yourselves thrown into the lockup." It was her mother's voice, irritable but slightly bemused as the woman opened the door and walked in followed by her father, Uncle John, Uncle Jazz, and Aunty Dia.

"What, and miss the local constable's impromptu interpretive stage show on what they had done?" Aunty Dia snorted. "I will always remember his rendition of "Two Men and a Village Idiot Take on a Golf Course Squirrel."

"Oh, don't worry Dia," Harmony said as she walked in behind her and closed the door. "I filmed it all. I'm thinking of sending it to Hollywood as a suggestion to make Caddyshack 3: Revenge of the Meek."

"Meek!" Billy burst out, "That squirrel was nuts!" He looked over at Addy. "Pun intended."

"Um, Billy, when I said meek I wasn't describing the squirrel." Harmony giggled, putting her bag down on the table.

"I still say we were within our rights to try and blow that little furry bastard up. He started it." Billy grumbled, sitting down hard on a couch only to have it yell back at him.

"OW! GET OFF!" The couch shrieked.

Billy jumped up at record breaking speed. Addy glared at him when he bumped into her.

"What?" He threw out his hands at the sofa. "It yelled at me!"

"I can do that too you know." She said with a side look at him.

Billy grunted and then moved the cushions aside to find Juliette.

"I was playing hide and seek with Colonel." Juliette told him as he picked the little golem up. "But a cat ran through the backyard and I believe he is now playing hide and seek with her.

"You mean Bella?" Harmony asked the little doll as she walked closer.

"No, this was a really skinny and slinky cat. It has been hanging around the place looking for mice I believe. Anyway, I decided to continue to hide for incase Colonel came back. He doesn't always understand when the game is over."

"You want me to put you back in between the cushions then?" Billy asked the tiny girl.

"No, I think it will be fine. I think I hear the others coming anyway." Juliette turned her head to look down the long hallway where the sounds of a small army invading the estate were emanating from. Billy set her carefully on the end stand and went to flop down but at the last moment decided to check under the cushions for any more surprises before sitting down again.

"I told you that you would need help." Jubilee was saying to Ember in a very loud voice.

"What are you talking about?" Ember snapped. "Gyp and I did fine. I read a book and it told us everything we needed to know. You just didn't listen well enough. As usual."

The kids tripped into the large living room. It was easy to see that all four were soaking from head to toe. A flame leapt up in the fireplace as Jackie watched Dia put her wand away even though the weather was nice and hot.

John shook his head and using his own wand, toned down the blazing flames to a mild flicker so the kids could dry off faster without being singed to a crisp or them all suffocating from the heat.

"Em, just because you read it in a book doesn't mean you know how to do it." Aria snarled, her arms crossed as her twin brother tried to take more of the seaweed out of her hair. "You would think hearing that from all the teachers at Hogwarts all last year would have gotten through your thick head by now."

"You just can't admit you didn't listen to my orders. Gyp and I didn't have any problems until you two screwed it all up." Ember's dark red hair dripped water from her ponytail onto the floor in front of the fire. The more excited she got, the higher the flame licked.

"Alright all of you." John sighed, "Can we stop the bickering already? We are on a nice vacation and didn't come thousands of miles to hear the same old arguments.

"No," Richie smiled, looking up from the book, "you came to get pinched by the lawman. Again."

"Daddy," Ember crossed her arms, "you didn't get arrested again did you?"

"Warden, I think this means YOU should be grounded." Gypsy waved her finger at him in an admonishing way.

"Me!" John gasped in mock horror. "It was Billy's fault. Well him and Jazz's use of what we later found out to be illegal fireworks. I was an innocent bystander."

"Innocent… hah!" Jazz yelled into the air, flabbergasted. "Who do you think supplied the shock grenades? And the mini bunker busters! He's been holding out on us!"

"Those were supposed to be for the Fourth of July celebration in America next month. I forgot they were in my golf bag I swear…" John tried his best to not look guilty.

"Fourth of July or World War 3?" Addy asked as she got herself a nice cold drink and did her best to stay away from the roaring fireplace.

With a flick of his wand, John turned the fire back down again. "You saw Jazz's arsenal last year. I was just trying to make sure that this time when he decides we need to reenact the war of Independence that I got to score as well. I didn't realize we were going to start a turf war with a French gremlin. Damn that thing could move fast, didn't it?" He motioned to Billy.

"Are you kidding?" Billy rubbed his leg. "I want to know what jerk taught the little beastie how to give atomic wedgies. I don't think my underwear are ever going to fit right again."

Colonel had been sniffing the floor and came to Billy, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Don't look at me mutt," Billy shook his head at the dog, "I don't have her. Look elsewhere."

Colonel sat down and started barking at the top of his lungs till Billy couldn't take it anymore.

"Alright alright already! I give! I put her over there next to the lamp!"

"You sure surrendered fast." Jazz sneered. "You sure went French fast, didn'tcha." The large man winked at his kids.

From the back door that lead out to the patio in walked Alexis and Melody, giggling over a newspaper. Behind them Skylar and Cadence were trying to hold back snickers themselves.

"Um, dad?" the amusement in Melody's voice evident. "The Daily Prophet just arrived. Looks as if there was a last minute update to it as it was being delivered. I think you might like the headline."

She turned the paper over and held it up for all to see. Jackie read the headline along with the others, her face cracking a smile.

"LEADING BRITISH AUROR, HOGWARTS PROFESSOR AND A MINISTRY WORKER HELD IN FRANCE ON CHARGES OF CONSPIRACY, MAYHEM AND CRUELTY TO A HELPLESS WOODLAND CREATURE" The article had an accompanying picture of an adorably cute squirrel doing its best 'poor me' face and a tiny bandage on his arm and head.

"Helpless!" Billy was beside himself astonishment. "That little bastard stole our balls! We just tried to get them back!"

Jackie dropped her face into her palm as Aunty Dia about fell down laughing so hard she started choking. Harmony was nearby gasping for air from amusement. Her own mom snorted into her hand as she said, "Oh, honey, I took those years ago. You didn't have a chance."

As John stepped over to his wife to hold her up before she fell down, the side door opened again and Callen, Serenity, and six year old Aurora Harmony Denbough walked in, confused by the laugher. It took a few moments for the fourteen year old Callen to get their attention.

"Mom," Callen said, looking over at his mom to whom he was as taller than now. "The maid and gardener asked me to come in and start keeping a better eye on the children of the house. But I have, Serenity and Aurora have been with me all afternoon, and I told them that. I think they got confused as they said the names of Dad, Uncle John and Uncle Jazz."

"Nope, they got it right son." Addy patted the boy on the shoulder. This did nothing to stop the boy's confusion.

"Hey there HM," John said as he held Dia's mouth so she couldn't add more insults to the conversation. "Any chance that you can run and get the itinerary from the kitchen table and tell us what we should be getting ready to go do?"

"Sure thing. Uncle John." The eight year old Serenity grinned at him and turned about to skip off.

"You know," Addy sighed, wiping the tears from her eyes, "she isn't going to be happy if that nickname follows her to the school this fall. I think she might not like others calling her Howler Monkey. Well, HM. In fact I would suggest you don't call any of the kids by the nicknames you gave them while you and Dia take over the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes this school year." She glanced at the paper where the squirrel was batting its eyes for sympathy. "Assuming they let you after making the headlines again."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that headline." John scratched the back of his head, "Everyone will forget it soon enough. And it isn't like we took a hit out on the furry little fiend."

"Speak for yourself…" Billy muttered under his breath as Serenity brought back the notepad.

"It says," she read off the page, "that in an hour we are supposed to get ready to go on a tasting tour." She smiled up at John, who returned her smile, then back down at the page. "And in small letters it says to make sure mommy isn't pregnant so she can taste the wine too."

With a gasp Addy snatched the notebook from her giggling daughter. "Who wrote that…" she turned and smacked Jazz over the head with the notebook.

"What? Last time we tried to do a wine tasting tour you were pregnant. No wait… the last three times." Jazz defended himself. "I was just trying to make sure it wasn't an unexpected item on the itinerary."

"Are you also the one who penciled in," Addy squinted at the notepad, "'start next revolution' in the margins of tomorrow's schedule?"

"Um…. Maybe…" his eyes shifted around from child to child with a mischievous look.

It struck Jackie that even though she vowed to leave home at the end of the next school year that she was going to miss these moments terribly. Suddenly the thought of being grown up and on her own was looming closer than ever and it made her nervous and exited in an inexplicable way. Sort of the same way when she thought too much about Richie…

"Well I suggest we get a move on then," Addy sighed, hit Jazz once more with the notepad for good measure, then walked towards the hallway with the stairs to the second and third floors. "We can get there a little early and hopefully avoid any more entanglements. We have to get up early in the morning to go sailing so let's not make this evening any more exciting than it needs to be." She started down the hallway, and then stopped again as she saw another addition to the schedule. "Uh, Jazz, I don't think reenacting the French Revolution on Saturday is a well thought out idea."

"But Addy!" Jazz yelled after her. "Skylar made Bob an amazing Marie Antoinette gown and wig!"

"I think Bob's getting a little too old to be starring in a mock beheading. He hasn't looked very well lately. Which is probably because no gnomes I've ever known have lived more than two years and he's going on six."

"Gee, you take all the fun out of the guillotine." Jazz slumped down in his chair with a defeated look.

"Uncle Jazz," Jackie couldn't resist asking, "Who was going to be the king?"

"Well, your dad of course." Jazz wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Ever since he started going bald and shaving his head it just makes me think of giving him a REAL close shave…"

"ME?" Billy sat up straighter. "You're crazy if you think I'm going to bend over for you and stick my head in that hole…Dia stop laughing. Seriously, you have a terribly dirty mind."

The kids all snickered as Harmony started shooing the younger children towards their rooms to get changed. Dia put out the fire as she helped Richie gather his books and the automatic quill to put them away. Billy and Jazz tried to raid the refrigerator at the same time, pushing each other and ended up getting the eggs knocked out of the door and onto the clean polished tile floor. They both looked around and then shut the door to the icebox and walked off like nothing happened.

Jackie started to collect her own things, making a mental note to get more black paint when they were in town. She felt someone get close to her and she looked up and for a moment thought it was Richie, but realized quickly it was his dad.

His dark green eyes were staring at a white paper in his hands. Her heart jumped as she realized it was her drawing of the shadow phantom that the wind had swept away. He looked back up at her, his eyes concerned.

"Everything okay Jackie?" His eyes were surveying her, measuring her responses as trained Aurors tended to do.

"It's fine Uncle John." She said with as much confidence as she could muster but didn't really feel. "Just a random drawing."

His eyes went to the trash where at least a half dozen other black images lay crumpled. She tried to breathe normally as she slid the page out of his hands, gathered her stuff and stood up.

She turned but he was still standing in her way. "If you need anything, anything at all, you'd tell us, right?"

"Of course." She tried to smile.

She could tell he wasn't buying it, but he still stepped out of her way. Jackie carefully sighed knowing that within minutes Dia would also know. She wondered if the word was going to get back around to her mother, or worse, her dad. Suddenly she turned, knowing that the two of them were the only ones left in the room.

"I know you'll mention this to Aunty Dia, which I understand," she hesitated, feeling a little guilty, but she had to say it. "But please don't say anything to my mom or dad. They have enough to worry about rather than thinking about some strange shadow I saw at Hogwarts. The fear might just make dad's hair fall out."

"Too late, I think it already did." John smiled but slowly nodded. "I'll keep it for now, but I will tell you if there seems to be more to this then I'm bringing them in. I won't keep anything like a threat to any of you kids from their parents. Understand?"

"Yes." She walked off a little farther then looked back for a moment. "Thanks Uncle John."

"One more thing." He rubbed his finger on his chin for a minute then looked up at her in a way that strongly reminded her of Richie again. "If you saw something at Hogwarts, I would ask that you let Richie know. He has some great instincts and can help you decide if it was just a random thing or something more. And ask Richard to have the paintings at Hogwarts also keep an eye out. They are a sort of warning system anyway."

She thought about it for a second. "But what if it just turns out to be nothing? I don't want to seem like I'm pulling the fire alarm when there isn't even smoke."

"Nobody will think badly of you. But what if it is more?" His eyes were dead serious. "My job trades on thinking a little on the paranoid side, I can't help it. But it would make me, and everyone else, a whole lot better just to be on the safe side."

She nodded back at him in understanding. "I'll talk to Richie this evening as we make the rounds on the gourmet sampling tour."

"Thanks. Better to be prepared. Constant vigilance and all." He smiled back at her which made her feel a whole lot better.

"Well in that case, be prepared for tonight. I overheard Uncle Jazz talking to Cadence about some kind of a prank involving a fake pregnancy stone. And after hearing what he put on the itinerary, I think I put two and two together-"

"And came up with Jazz's plan." John shook his head and ran his hand through his dark hair. "I wondered why he was asking Ember if she ever read any books on different types of rocks and where to find them. I swear some days I find it a miracle that Addy hasn't killed him yet."

"Dad wonders the same thing."

With that John snorted and walked into the kitchen.

As she ascended the stairs she heard John yell out, "What the-… Jazz! Where are you! Get back here and clean up this mess!"

From somewhere else in the huge house she heard his response. "Make me John. But you have to find me first!"

"Oh, really!" John's voice yelled back. "Oh Colonel? Can you come here boy? I've got a job for you…"

"Come on Hamlet, make a decision already."

Richie chuckled on the inside. It had been a while since his dad had called him by that silly nickname, but it still made him smile.

"Well all the pastries look good dad. How am I supposed to pick just one?" He looked over at his father and shrugged.

"Do what your mom does."

"I don't think buying one of each is really practical. It would take me forever to eat them all." He shook his head, the jet black hair swaying gently.

"Not if you left them on the kitchen table. You could take a knife and cut a bite from each one, and the rest would magically disappear throughout the day."

"I thought we were on a taste tour, not grocery shopping." Jackie sighed as she stood on Richie's other side, also trying to decide what to try next. "Taking it back to the villa defeats the purpose."

"You're just thinking too logically." John gently chided. "You know how far that gets you in this household."

Richie glanced sideways and saw Jackie smile and knew she couldn't let it go just yet. "Richie, if you want a bite of each one and Auntie Dia has one of everything, why not ask her to share?"

"You'd have to take that up with your mother." John nudged Richie playfully. "But you know, I've got it on good authority that she'd probably let you have some of her pastries. Of course you'd have to wait for her to get them out which could be tomorrow afternoon…" he winked at Richie. "It would take less time for you to just make a decision so we can move onto the next place down the walk."

"I'm already so full I could burst." Richie sighed, rubbing his stomach. "How many places do we have left to go?"

"Frankly I've lost count. I had no idea this would be so long of a tour. And I thought they'd bring the food to us, not the other way around." John scratched the back of his head in thought. "I suppose I can just go on without you Richie if you want more time to think."

"No you can't Uncle John," Jackie turned and leaned in front of Richie so she could make eye contact with him. "We are supposed to be keeping an eye on you tonight. At least until Em and Gyp get back. Mom would kill us if you, dad or Uncle Jazz got into any more trouble."

"Yeah dad," Richie turned to John again, "what's with you three and France anyway? You'll never become Minister of Magic if you can't stop getting put in jail every time you step foot in this country."

"Now who said anything about becoming Minister of Magic." John waved it off. "That's just talk. I couldn't imagine being away from your mother one night let alone for weeks on end. I would ignore that talk if I were you."

"But Uncle John, you'd make a great Minister of Magic." Jackie was still leaning forward. Richie suddenly noticed that she was wearing a tight fitting thin violet shirt that was cut in a low V neck and that he could see the lacy top to her black bra. He didn't remember her ever wearing it before so she must have bought it the day before when all the women had gone shopping. He found himself wondering if it would get a little cold out so that-

His father nudged him. "I said, don't you agree Richie?"

He had no clue to what he was supposed to be agreeing to. He searched his memory and couldn't think of what his father was asking. "Sorry dad," he stalled, "I was still trying to make a decision about the pastries."

"Pastries, huh." His dad smiled and raised an eyebrow at him.

Richie knew his face was turning red so he instead looked around his dad at Ember and Gypsy walking up with Colonel on a lead and a fuzzy creature in Gypsy's arms.

"Well there you are my little Firebug, Scamp." John's impish smile turned into a look of trepidation. "And what have you two got there?"

"Hey Warden!" Gypsy smiled, her hair flashing a bright yellow. "Guess what Colonel found on our walk!" She hefted up something from the crook of her arm. "It's a Knarl. Sorta like a hedgehog."

"Gyp," Jackie said, crossing her arms. "You can't keep that. According to the Book of Magical Creatures, aren't they easily offended and wreak havoc on gardens? Dad will flip!"

"Aww but this one is so nice and sweet, see?" The twelve year old girl held it out for her sister to see. "Look at that face! How can you resist it?"

"Quite easily Gyp." Jackie said flatly. "Dad's garden is in enough trouble after Bob let those horkalumps loose in it again."

"Where is Bob anyway?" Richie asked, trying to keep the conversation off whatever it had been.

"He's resting in Auntie Harm's purse." Gypsy said with a hint of worry.

"I put a fainting couch in there for him. He had fun practicing fainting for a few minutes, then laid down for real." Ember added.

Richie heard Jackie sigh, and in his mind saw the lacy bra again heave in and out. His dad gave him another sly look which made him almost turn red all over again. When did his dad become such a mind reader?

Jackie's voice cut off his train of thought. "I can't imagine he will last much longer…"

Gypsy's face grew patchy, her hair turning darker and darker blue.

"But not today," John said trying to steer the conversation back to better ground. "But you may want to find that little Knarl a different home before your dad has a heart attack."

"I was hoping to make it a gift for Hagrid." Gypsy's face recovered some, but the sadness played around her eyes. Richie knew his dad wouldn't be able to resist.

John crumpled like paper. "Okay, go ahead and we'll talk to the authorities on its transportation."

"Thanks Warden!" Gypsy gave him a big hug, almost squishing the little creature.

"Thanks dad." Ember also gave him a hug and kiss.

There were running footsteps coming closer and Richie turned to see Serenity and Aurora heading their way with Callen hot on their tail.

Ember's face got more moody but she didn't say anything.

"Uncle John!" the two little girls yelled together.

"I'm right here HM, Glock." He said as he bent down and took them both in his arms.

Aurora giggled as Serenity practically yelled in his face.

"Mommy said to tell you to hurry your butt over with the rest. Auntie Dia is saying the waiter at the next place is young and hot and willing to take her home if you don't show up soon old man." The little girl paused for a second, and then added, "Her words."

"Oh, really… well then I suppose I'd better hurry up and…" he looked over at an overnight convince store, "go over there and buy me something to tide me over tonight as I get to sleep in my bed all alone for the first time in…" he stopped and thought about it.

Both little girls screamed and yelled. "No, you can't do that! Uncle John!"

Richie knew how much his dad loved teasing the littler children, but saw the sour look on Ember's face. She was still daddy's little girl, but so much harder to tease now that she was growing up and seemed to think she knew it all.

"Come on Uncle John!" Serenity yelled so loud that even Callen standing nearby plugged his ears.

"Yeah, hurry up before you miss out on the chocolate." Aurora yelled almost as loud.

"Sorry, did you say balaclava? I couldn't tell because you two are so loud." John said which sent the two little girls into giggling hysterics.

"I think I'll just take the lemon filled one," Jackie said, pointing to a doughnut.

"Hey, I've got an idea," Richie said, trying not to look at Jackie so he wouldn't get caught staring down her shirt again accidently. "I'll grab the cherry one and we can do have-sies. Cool with you?"

She nodded, trying to ignore John who was now tickling the little girls.

The man behind the counter over heard them and cut the pastries in half, giving one to each of both doughnuts. They nodded their thanks and turned to escape the noise.

As John stood up, Richie realized he had seen the look on Ember's face. He addressed the two little girls. "You think you two can deliver a message back for me?" When both girls nodded enthusiastically, he continued. "Good. Tell your mom to keep her pants on. We wouldn't want Billy getting any bad ideas." The girls giggled even though they didn't quite get the joke. "And tell my beautiful, loving, sweet wife that she doesn't want the hot waiter or else she'd have to train him and that would take too much time. I may be slow, but I get there and get the job done right."

"Okay Uncle John." Serenity said and turned to go.

"Oh, and one other thing," John said, stopping the girls in their tracks. "Tell Jazz that he is the gate keeper and I am the key master. Don't worry; he'll know what I'm talking about."

The girls nodded and ran off. Callen just shook his head, and then took off after the girls, trying to keep an eye on them.

As they all left and headed towards the next place on the tasting tour John put his arms around Ember and Gypsy and gave them each a squeeze. "So you think Hagrid will like that little critter?"

Gypsy snuggled the furry little thing. "I'm sure he'll love Todd."

"Todd, huh?"

"Don't you like that name daddy?" Ember asked.

"Oh, sure, just trying to remember where I've heard it before, that's all." He smiled back before kissing her on the side of her head.

Richie and Jackie walked behind them and hung back a little farther. He wanted to talk to her since she had seemed like she was trying to say something to him all night but never did say much of anything because someone was always around. That always bugged her and Richie knew it. Never being alone.

They walked a few more yards in silence getting farther and farther behind their sisters and his dad's talk of importing magical creatures from other countries. Up ahead they could hear the laughter coming from the next restaurant on the tour, and it sounded like the women were having a great time. A huge part of the tasting tour had been the local wines, and the adults were making the most of it. Luckily the tour was made up of wizarding shops and restaurants, so when they charmed something, no one had to worry about muggles watching.

When Jackie cleared her throat, Richie's mind wandered immediately back.

"I was wondering if I could ask you something."

For a moment Richie waited for her to continue, but then realized she was waiting for him. _Girls really need to come with an instruction manual_ was the thought that floated through his head, but thankfully his mouth said something different.

"Um, yeah, of course you can. Anything." He hoped it didn't sound as stupid to her as it did to him. _Why would she ask anyway, usually she just said whatever was on her mind or demanded to be heard and said whatever was on her mind anyway_. Her asking him really threw him off.

When she didn't immediately respond he chanced a look over at her. She had nibbled on the edge of one half of one doughnut but that was all. Maybe her stomach wasn't feeling well. Or maybe she was tired of vacationing with everyone else. She had been drawing a lot more again as of late which wasn't too unusual, but then again-

"I was thinking about school. Of Hogwarts."

"Um, okay." Richie searched for something intelligent to say, but nothing came up so he decided to stay quiet and eat his doughnut. Girls were hard enough to figure out without having to now guess at their thoughts. He didn't know how his dad survived some days. Actually, when he thought about it he did understand. His dad knew his mom even better than she knew herself. When she was upset he would just wait around until she told him what was wrong. Richie decided that was a good course of action and took another bite of the lemon doughnut.

They walked on without saying anything. Richie started to get worried he had taken the wrong tactic. Maybe she expected him to prompt her. Billy sometimes did that when Addy wouldn't tell him what was wrong, but then again if something was wrong with Addy it was usually Billy's fault and if he didn't realize it, someone else in the house did and pointed it out to him. Richie wondered if he should ask someone else what was wrong with Jackie, but then who?

His dad turned briefly to see where they were, but instead of looking at him, his dad's eyes connected with Jackie. Only then did they flick to his son. How weird.

As John opened the door, Jazz burst out, trying to tackle him. Richie could immediately tell that Jazz was rapidly approaching the limit of alcohol consumed before someone started to cut him off.

"Key master! Where have you been! I've been waiting for you for centuries!" Jazz exclaimed, grabbing a hold of John's face and trying to plant a big wet kiss on it.

His father struggled back trying to get out of the large man's grasp. Harmony opened the door again and let Ember, Gypsy and their pets in.

"Honey," she yelled. "Hey, you! Jazz!"

"There is no Jazz, only Zuul." He yelled over his shoulder.

"Fine, Zuul. Get your demigod ass back in here. Before you scare the children."

"Don't worry Auntie Harm," Jackie waved her hand dismissively, "he isn't scaring us."

"Oh, I was talking about Johnny actually." She said, tossing her beautiful long platinum blond hair over her shoulder. She daintily lifted up the hem of her long dress and with a graceful move, kicked Jazz in the butt.

Without missing a beat, Jazz spun around and grabbed for Harmony who screamed and laughed. "Oh, woman! You've done it now!"

He picked up John who was laughing hard and threw the taller man fireman style over his shoulder then lunged back in after his wife shouting "Come here honey, I've got something for you!"

Jackie sighed.

"Some days I wonder who is more insane in this house. Uncle Jazz or Uncle John or daddy who instigate it, or Auntie Dia, Harmony and mom who put up with it."

"Us for living with it." Richie snorted. "I can't wait to go live in a tomb where I can study in peace and only the dead to talk to."

"I agree. Sounds perfect."

They made it to the door without either of them saying anything else. Richie wasn't sure what to say so he opened the door for Jackie. She gave him a strange look, but then went in. Yet again, he was confused. Did he do something wrong?

Jazz was standing on a chair and yelled and pointed at the two of them as they entered. "Are you a god?"

"John, really? Did you have to get him stuck on that?" Addy asked as Harmony tried to get Jazz down.

"What?" Laughed the tall dark haired man. "Would you have rather me say," John drew a deep breath and in a much louder voice proclaimed, "I'm Arthur, King of the Britons."

Jazz immediately yelled back, "King? I didn't vote for you."

With a flourish John turned around to face Jazz. "You don't vote for kings."

Jumping down, Jazz fired back, "Well how'd you become king then?"

"The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water, signifying by divine providence that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur. THAT is why I am your king." John tried to stand as noble looking as possible.

"Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony."

With a sigh, Addy sat down next to Dia who immediately poured her a full glass of wine, thoroughly enjoying the impromptu show.

John roughly grabbed Jazz's shoulder, yelling "Now see here!"

Making the tables shake and the glasses vibrate, Jazz jumped up and down yelling at the top of his lungs, "Help, help, I'm being oppressed!"

Harmony gave up and sat down on Addison's other side and got poured a large glass of wine as well.

Richie leaned over to Jackie having finally made a decision. "You wanted to ask me something?"

"Oh, never mind." She sighed. "I'll tell you later. I think it is about to get way too loud in here."

By this time Billy had jumped up, wobbled a bit and yelled out "To Camalot!"

"To Camalot!" John repeated.

"It's only a model." Jazz sniggered and then the three launched into song, dancing around the table where Addy had her face in her hands, Harmony largely ignored the men as she tried to figure out what was on the tray in front of her to try, and Dia clapped along.

As Jackie walked off to take another proffered tray of samples for her and Richie to try she leaned back Richie's direction.

"I believe you are right about one thing." She had a slight grin. "I think we are the insane ones and we just don't know it."

"We're knights of the Round Table, we dance whene'er we're able. We do routines and chorus scenes with footwork impec-cable, We dine well here in Camelot, we eat ham and jam and Spam a lot…"

"Your baby blues

So full of wonder

Your curly cues

Your contagious smile

And as I watch

You start to grow up

All I can do is hold you tight

Knowing clouds will rage

And storms will race in

But you will be safe in my arms

Rains will pour down

Waves will crash all around

But you will be safe in my arms"

The words of the song floated to Alex who was walking down the long hall of the villa after finally having given up on waiting for Sky to finish the newest dress for Bob. She had considered telling him that he really should start selling some of his designs, but Sky, always the shy one, wasn't sure if someone would be happy that their new style had been approved by a cross dressing gnome first.

"Story books full of fairy tales

Of kings and queens and the bluest skies

My heart is torn just in knowing

You'll someday see the truth from lies"

She had decided to go onto bed as it was getting late and she was stuffed from the food and wine tasting tour they had been on hours earlier. As she passed the kitchen, she thought she had heard Billy in there snickering to himself. For a moment Alexis toyed with finding out what he was so happy about, but decided that a soft bed sounded better than silly hijinks.

"Knowing clouds will rage

And storms will race in

But you will be safe in my arms

Rains will pour down

Waves will crash all around

But you will be safe in my arms"

She stopped and listened by the doorway to the room that held the two littlest members of the family, Serenity and Aurora. Addy's soft and hauntingly beautiful voice carried out the doorway as she sang to the little girls.

"Castles they might crumble

Dreams may not come true

But you are never all alone

Because I will always

Always love you"

Alex always enjoyed when one of the adults, or all of them, decided to sing or play. Whenever the family went to some gathering or ministry picnic, they were always asked to play. And sometimes one of them would get out an instrument and jam along with the kids. John was most notorious for doing that with his violin.

Only a few weeks ago Alex had found out why John had taken up that particular instrument. Dia's father had played one and it was one of her only memories she had of the man left since he had died when she was so young. Dia and Addy both were delighted when John played for them. Alex wondered yet again if she would ever find someone who cared so much for her to learn something special to make her happy.

Her thoughts swam back to the last band practice their own little group had back at Hogwarts before the end of the term. She thought she had seen something move in the shadows and it had given her such a fright. Callen had noticed and sat next to her after that, helping keep her mind off the strange blackness until she had convinced herself it was just her mind playing tricks. He had told her funny stories from his notebook, some she had heard many times, but every now and again one would pop up that was new to her. She enjoyed listening to him and kept telling him to make it into a book. But just like Sky, Callen had a million excuses why he couldn't.

"Clouds will rage

And storms will race in

But you will be safe in my arms

Rains will pour down

Waves will crash all around

But you will be safe in my arms"

Addy's song was coming to a close so Alexis figured it was time to move on down the hallway towards her own room. She heard a strange noise outside as she passed a window and saw a figure sneaking around the base of the building.

With a burst of speed, she flew down the hallway towards the other stairwell on the far side of the hallway, and skipped many steps on the way down. She stopped to catch her breath momentarily before she quietly opened the door to the outside, glad that Richie and Jackie insisted they all stay in shape. It was more for Richie and Jackie to get into better shape so that Alex and Sky would stop outrunning them every chance they got, but it was still a good idea to Alex, especially now.

The door behind her closed without an audible click, and she pressed her back up against the wall as she slid stealthily towards the corner and the side where she had seen the person move. Her dark skin blended well with the shadows in the light of the full moon. Cautiously she peered around the corner and saw the person, who was crouching low and dragging something behind, move around the far corner of the building. Alexis was a pro at sneaking soundlessly through bushes from having years of being on the streets so often. Her instinct never left her even with living in such a wonderful home for the last six years.

Only a minute later she was peering around the next corner and saw the person only yards away with what looked like a rope and hook in hand. The dark figure stepped slightly away from the tree and Alex knew it was a man's form. He swung the rope and hook a few times, judging the distance to the railing a floor above him. The cloak he wore covered his features so she couldn't make out a face.

The hook flew in its arc and then it was let free to sail above the man's head and onto the balcony above with a light twang of metal against metal. The man cringed and looked around for signs of anyone hearing him. Alex pressed herself back and held her breath till the man relaxed and gave the rope a light tug, setting it into place. He readied for the climb.

Carefully Alexis touched her bracelet, sending a message to Dia and John about the intruder.

Suddenly the man looked at his wrist, then around, his hand swiping the hood from his head.

"Alex? Are you out here?" The man whispered loudly. Alex almost started laughing with unspent nervous tension as she recognized John standing by the rope. She stepped away from the building, letting the moon's soft light touch her skin and pajamas.

"You about scared the hell out of me." John whispered to her as she walked closer.

"Are you kidding? I thought someone was about to break in!" Alex hissed quietly as she looked up the rope to the balcony. The glass doors above creaked open. "Did Dia lock you out again? What did you do this time?"

"ME! I didn't-"

"Shhhhhh!" Came a woman's voice from above, "keep your voice down or we'll never get away!"

Trying not to smile too loudly, Alex's dark eyes followed the rope upwards to where Dia was leaning over the railing. The woman started to climb over the metal railing when John's voice stopped her momentarily.

"Hey, I was supposed to come up and get you, remember?"

Dia glanced back down at her husband and shook her head. "Sorry hon, don't have time. I think I heard Billy down the hallway. I'm sure him and Jazz are cooking something crazy up."

The dark skinned girl looked back over at John. "I heard Billy in the kitchen just a few minutes ago giggling to himself."

The tall man scratched the back of his head momentarily, and then held the rope steady for his wife to descend.

"Um, can I ask what you are doing? Why not just leave by the door?" Alex asked, a little perplexed.

"What fun would that be?" John smiled at her, his eyes shining in the moonlight.

Dia reached the ground and he took her in his arms and gave her a passionate kiss. As she stepped back, John flicked the rope and the hook came loose and he was able to pull it back to earth.

"Well, off we go." He said, guiding his wife through the shrubbery that decorated the house. For a few moments he stopped and looked directly into Alex's eyes. "You won't tell on us, right?"

"Me? No. Of course not." Alex smiled back at the two as Dia gave her a little wave.

With a wink, he lifted up the hood on his robe to cover his head as his wife did the same as they quickly moved away from the building and off towards the water.

Squinting her eyes, Alex made out the silhouette of the boat house as the two made their way through the pools of light that stretched out to caress the grass.

With a sigh, she wandered back towards the doorway around the corner she had left unlocked so she could get back in. But when she got there, the doorway was occupied.

A huge yawn escaped from Richie's mouth as he rubbed the back of his head in exactly the same way his father had done moments ago. It made her face crack a smile.

"Out awfully late aren't you?"

Her words startled Richie and he turned, whipping out his wand and pointing it in her direction. His face registered the recognition of her and he dropped his arm. "You about scared the hell out of me."

"I think I've heard that one before." Alex tapped her chin and walked the rest of the way to where Richie stood in his pajamas. "Can I ask what you are doing out here?" She said, then immediately shook her head.

"What? What's wrong?" Richie asked concerned.

"Oh, nothing, just got a crazy case of déjà vu."

"Um, okay," Richie clearly didn't understand but he continued on anyway. "Ember was worried that she didn't secure the boat house door when they put the kayaks back earlier today. So I looked out my window and saw the door bolt wasn't done, so I told her I'd come out and latch it for her so that Colonel didn't chase the cat that lives in there again."

Off in the distance, a dark grey cat hissed and darted from the boat house.

"What was that all about?" Wondered Richie, but Alex reached out and grabbed his arm, holding him back.

"Don't bother." She sighed. "It's your mom and dad. I caught them sneaking out off the balcony. But you have to keep that a secret."

"Oh." Was all the dark haired boy said, unsurprised. What startled him a little more was his bracelet buzzing.

Alex leaned over and read the writing. It was from Jackie. _Are you out in the boat house? I just went by your room to ask you something and saw you were gone and then I saw that grey cat ran from the building outside._

He touched his bracelet and sent back a message. _No, I'm out the back exit stairwell. Saw the cat though._

_ Why are you out there?_

_ Long story._

_ On my way._

Richie looked at Alex and was about to message back when Jackie appeared in the shadows of the doorway.

"Hey Alex." Jackie nodded, clearly not expecting her to be there.

"Hi Jackie. Nice night out, isn't it?" Alex smiled back at the other girl.

"Yeah, it is. Uh," Jackie looked harder out to the boat house. "Is someone stealing the boat?"

"Nope, just someone going out on a moonlit trip." Alex said nonchalantly.

"Um, okay." Jackie shook her head but didn't ask.

"Aren't you going to ask who is taking the boat?" Richie inquired, somehow interested in Jackie's lack of curiosity.

"Oh, I'm guessing it's your mom and dad." Jackie said offhandedly, and then added more when she saw the look on Richie's face. "It isn't mom; she's putting the girls to bed. It isn't dad; he's cooking up some sort of mischief. It isn't Jazz; he's in on whatever dad is doing. And Harm wouldn't go out by herself. That leaves your mom and dad."

"Huh," was his only response. Alex was quite sure Richie hadn't actually put that much thought into it at all.

The night was quiet for several moments, the light wind played through the bushes and trees, the crickets played their song with frogs croaking counterpoint.

"So what is it you wanted to ask me?" Richie finally broke the silence.

"Hmm?" Jackie responded.

"Twice tonight you said you wanted to ask a question. What is it?"

As Alex stood there, she could sense the other girl wanted to talk to Richie alone but didn't want to be rude or say it in front of her.

"Well I'm off to bed. Goodnight you two." She waved at them both and walked around them and opened the door, only to find Ember standing there.

"Have you seen Colonel?" She said with just a touch of worry.

She shook her head no.

"He heard that boat house cat hiss and he jumped to the window, then escaped through the bedroom door. I didn't know he had figured out that bouncing on the door would make it pop open. Now he's gone." She looked out towards the boat house and squinted. "Is that our boat that just took off?"

Inwardly Alex sighed. She tried to think of what it would be like to just have one night where everyone went to bed on time and without issue.

Off in the distance they could hear a cat hiss, a dog bark, Billy and Jazz yelling as they stormed into an empty bedroom and the boat motor bloom to life as it sped off out into the deeper water.

It was going to be a long night.

"If I throw a temper tantrum, I get to go take a nap, right?" Addy asked Harmony as they picked up various items from around the untidy kitchen.

"Only if I get to also." Harmony sighed as she cleaned up green goo that had dripped off the counter and onto the floor.

"Why are you two cleaning this mess up anyway," Melody asked as she placed her cereal bowl in the sink. "If dad and Uncle Billy made the mess, shouldn't they have to clean it up?"

"They'd probably just make a bigger mess." Addy snorted.

"Then shouldn't they be grounded?" Melody raised an eyebrow. "And not get to go out today with the rest of us?"

Harmony and Addison stopped what they were doing and looked at each other, silently coming to a decision.

"You know honey," Harmony said, putting down the dish rag, "you are absolutely right. Go tell your dad and Billy that they need to get dressed and get down here and clean up after themselves or else they will miss out on going with us."

Jackie sat in the corner of the breakfast nook and watched as Melody's smile turned into an evil grin. Even at 10 am, it still seemed too early to start a war with the adult males.

Cadence turned to his twin sister, shaking his head. "Good luck getting dad out of bed. He really didn't want to go on the hike through the countryside to start with."

"He will if he wants to check out the Veela that we will see on the way he will." Melody smirked before she left and headed upstairs on her mission.

Jackie continued to eat her breakfast quietly, wishing she had stayed in bed and slept more. Too bad her dreams had been filled with strange shadow creatures again.

Richie strode into the room and went to the cupboard and pulled out his mother's stash of doughnuts. He cut a small piece off each one and carefully returned them to their hiding place. Jackie watched him as she ate, idly wondering if it would be futile to talk to him alone until they were all back at home.

He looked up suddenly and his dark green eyes caught hers so she quickly looked back down at her breakfast, irritated with herself. She knew he was probably smiling in that way that drove her crazy. In her peripheral vision she watched as he finished making his piecemeal breakfast and walked her way.

Harmony stopped him momentarily first. "Has anyone seen your mom and dad yet this morning? Usually John has already come down for coffee."

"When I got up a few hours ago to put Todd back in his cage I saw the boat come back." Richie shrugged. "I guess they decided to sleep out there since there was a fair chance that Uncle Jazz and Uncle Billy did something to their room."

"If they haven't come in by the time you are finished, can you please go out and check on them?" Harmony asked as she poured herself yet another hot cup of coffee.

"You might think of bringing some of those bits of pastry and hot tea with you." Addy suggested as she started another pot of coffee, trying to steer clear of the blob that looked as if it had been growing eyeballs overnight.

"Sure thing." Richie said as he sat down at the nook opposite to Jackie. As he sipped his tea, she tried furiously not to look at him but instead contemplate her own meal that she had barely touched.

Before they even got there, Jackie could tell Ember and Gypsy were on their way down. Ember's grumpy mood was echoed in the heavy footsteps as she practically stomped down the stairs. Colonel's softer patter and clicking of his nails on the hardwood floors was less easy to make out, but still apparent.

As the door slammed open to reveal Ember, Colonel, and Gypsy holding Bob in her arms, Richie tapped the side of Jackie's dish.

"You want a few of these?" He asked, trying to catch her eyes.

She didn't have time to respond as Gypsy set Bob down on the side of the nook's table. The gnome looked worse for the wear, his brown hair having given way to more gray each and every day. His night dress no longer fit him the same.

Harmony bid a cheery "Good morning" to the girls to which Gypsy gave her a half hearted smile and Ember just growled. With a stifled giggle, Harmony couldn't resist telling Ember how much she was like her mother.

Bob sighed and grumbled to himself, checking out Jackie's bowl, then Richie's plate for food. He turned his nose up at both and sniffed the air for the scent of something better. Gypsy poured herself some freshly brewing coffee and put some in a tiny tea cup for Bob. Addy eyed her.

"Gypsy, aren't you a little young for drinking coffee first thing in the morning?"

"I don't know mom," Gypsy yawned and continued, "Aren't daddy and Uncle Jazz a little old to be up so late pranking someone else's room?"

"Harrumph." Was the only response she got back as Addy continued to sip her own coffee.

Ember poured herself some coffee and looked around. "No bacon?"

Colonel looked up and licked his lips. Ember frowned at him. "None for you. Not after your little midnight escapades with that cat."

The Sheppard whined and lay down, covering his muzzle with a paw.

At the swinging doorway, Aria and Jubilee entered the room, glaring at the dog. They both walked to their mom and gave her a good morning hug and kiss with what Jackie was pretty sure was false cheerfulness. It annoyed her as much as it obviously irritated Ember. Ever since they got to Hogwarts and quickly became popular, the younger twins had been hard to live with.

"If you want bacon, Ember, you'll have to cook it yourself." Addy said with a sigh. She went to sit on a chair next to the stove, but the goo on the seat made her think twice and decide to lean on the counter.

With a moan to herself, Ember also got into the stash of her mother's doughnuts, taking another small piece from each and putting the rest back.

Richie tapped Jackie's plate again, signaling to her if she wanted some of what was on his plate. She decided that one or two bites wouldn't hurt and took a few portions.

"I was wondering mom," Aria was saying in an altogether too loud and sunny voice, "if we could stop by that one dress shop again. There were a few more dresses I wanted to try on and maybe take back to school with me in the fall."

Ember groaned and rolled her eyes. "Do we have to? That was several hours out of my life that I want back."

"Just because _you_ don't have any fashion sense Em doesn't mean the rest of us don't either." Aria said a touch snidely.

"I don't need fashion sense Air," Ember sneered back, turning to the other girl, "I have Sky. He's far better than any of those snooty designers you'll find in that store."

"Someone say my name?" Skylar asked as he entered the now crowded kitchen followed by Alex and Callen.

"Yeah, Airhead wants to go shopping back at that stupid clothing store we went to the other day." Ember scoffed as Addy, Harmony, and Aria all yelled at Ember for name calling.

"I'll go with you." Skylar said as he looked around for something to eat. "They had some interesting designs that I would like to check out a little more. We can go this morning before the hiking trip."

"We are supposed to be already getting ready to leave." Addy said as she checked the notepad itinerary. "Oh, wait. I see someone penciled 'get over hangover' in and moved the hike to noon."

"Who was that?" Alex asked as Callen handed her a bowl and her favorite cereal.

Harmony glanced at the paper and spoke in unison with Addison. "Jazz."

Bob grunted "Coffee" to Gypsy who poured him more from her mug. Richie tore off a small piece of chocolate doughnut and handed it to him now that he seemed more in the mood for solid food.

"Why did I have to get out of bed so early!" Billy grumbled as he entered the kitchen, and then stopped suddenly when he realized how many people were in the small room. "What, was there a committee meeting I wasn't told about?" he looked about the faces that stared, smiled or glared back at him.

"I don't know," Ember shot back, "was there an exclusive moron convention in town last night? You know how long it took to get Todd and Colonel to sleep?"

With a grin, Billy wandered over to Ember and gave her a kiss on the side of the head. "Well good morning to you too Dia." He then leaned over and kissed Gypsy on the side of her cheek. Ember gave a half hearted attempt to glare at him, but gave it up.

"What's for breakfast?" Billy inquired but got a glare from his wife for an answer.

"Sorry, can't cook in here till Jackass number one and Jackass number two clean up the kitchen." Harmony pointed to Billy and then at the door where they could hear Jazz singing what sounded like bad opera as he came down the stairs.

The giggles of two little girls punctuated the air as Jazz sang, his voice carrying loudly from the other room.

Richie scratched his chin that was in full stubble in thought. Looking down at his bracelet and touching it lightly, he sent her a private message. _Want to go help me wake up mom and dad? I think this room is about to get more exciting than I can handle this early in the morning._

Quickly Jackie nodded then stole the last bite of pastry from Richie's plate, making him smile back at her in a way that made her skin flush slightly.

She grabbed her bowl, placed it in the sink, and headed for the doorway hoping to escape in time. Richie grabbed her arm before she reached the door and indicated using the other exit instead. Agreeing they made it to the far door just as Jazz, flanked by Serenity and Aurora, slammed the previous door open and sang in his loudest voice to everyone in the room causing everyone to cover their ears.

Jackie swung the far door open but her mom stopped Richie long enough to hand him a covered plate of pastries. She handed Jackie two thermoses, one obviously coffee, the other hot tea. Addy smiled back at the two as the door closed behind them. They both walked over to the front door and Jackie was thankful to be leaving the house as Jazz launched into his rendition of Seize The Day and everyone shouting at him to quiet down.

Stepping outside, Jackie briefly covered her eyes from the downpour of bright sunlight. They walked quietly for a short time as the sounds of the house ruckus slowly faded into the background, replaced by the sounds of birds chirping, water lapping, and the wind playing tag through the gentle trees.

She knew that Richie was trying to wait patiently for her to speak, but she wasn't sure how to approach the subject. In her head it just kept sounding so stupid.

"Sooo," Richie cleared his throat, "do you think it will be weird with mom and dad both taking over Defense Against the Dark Arts classes this next year?"

"I think it could be an interesting year having your parents as well as the twins' parents there. I overheard Great Aunt McGonagall asking if mom would occasionally take potions. Seems that Mr. Dalek, our current potions teacher, will need time off here and there to take care of his ailing mother."

"And considering your dad sometimes drops by to help out in Herbology, I get the feeling that we are going to see way more of our family than we wanted." Richie sniggered a little at the thought.

"Well, I suppose that can't be too bad of a thing." Jackie sighed, shifting the two thermoses in her hands.

"Okay," Richie stopped and turned to her, "now I know something is wrong. You usually would have hated the idea of everyone from the house being at the school. Now you are suddenly alright with it? What's going on Jacordia."

She felt stupid, but whenever he used her full name lately it gave her chills. She hated that. Meeting his eyes, she tried to steady herself.

"Fine." She handed him a thermos and pulled yet another drawing of the shadow monster out of her pocket. "One of the last nights at Hogwarts I thought I saw this. It has been haunting my thoughts ever since. I didn't really think it was anything, but your dad…"

He immediately finished her sentence for her. "…thought it was important enough to possibly investigate further. Or at the very least keep an eye out for, am I right?" He asked, eyeing her intently the same way his dad had the day before.

"Yeah. And to tell Richard to spread the word through the other paintings as well. Seriously, it's probably nothing-"

"-but it pays to be constantly vigilant anyway." He finished again with a grin.

She nodded and finally took back the drawing, folding it and stuffing the paper back into her back pocket. Suddenly she felt like a foolish child.

"I think dad was right. Better safe than sorry." He tried to comfort her but she no longer was looking at him.

She shrugged. "Please do me a favor and keep it to yourself. I don't want everyone thinking I'm afraid of the dark now. I'd never hear the end of it. Dad would be worried sick, and mom would start posting guards. Uncle Jazz, well, he'd have way too much fun with it."

He nudged her playfully. "No worries. I'll keep it to myself."

They started walking again until they reached the outskirts of the boat house where Richie stopped and picked up a small pebble. His arm cut a wide arc as he threw the small stone at the boat house wall, only to have it rebound off an invisible shield that started glittering in the morning light.

Knowing that John and Dia would never sleep somewhere without magical protection being set up, the two teenagers waited for a response from within, not daring to cross any boundaries the two Aurors within had set up.

The shield shimmered then disappeared, the pearly gloss fading away into the air as it dissipated. Richie approached the door but had to hand the thermos back to Jackie to open it.

"We come bearing doughnuts, hot tea and coffee!" Richie's voice echoed off the interior walls and the small swells of water that lapped at the boat's keel.

"You're welcome to come aboard." His father's voice sounded back from somewhere within. "We've taken down the spells and charms that were meant for nasty intruders. You know, Jazz and Billy."

Jackie climbed the stairs that stretched up to the side of the large boat and gingerly stepped across to the matching stairs onboard. The door leading to the cabin below flung open and his dad grabbed the railing to help himself come topside, his white pajamas having the look of not being slept in.

The teens exchanged looks as John made his way up and over to them looking badly in need of a shower and shave.

"You got this from Addy, right?" he hesitated before taking the parcels of food and drink.

"Yep, Uncle Billy and Jazz were just getting up themselves." Richie nodded.

With a smile John took the plate and set it down on a small table by the bow of the boat and sat down, followed by Jackie and Richie, leaving room for Dia to join them whenever she crawled out of bed.

"Mom is making dad and Jazz clean the kitchen before we go hiking." Jackie stated. "Sorry breakfast isn't something better but mom refused to cook in a dirty kitchen."

"I can only imagine what those two did to our room." John sighed and cut one of the pastries in two, leaving the other half for his wife. He poured himself a hot cup of coffee using the mug attached to the top of his thermos. "You two look tired, how late were you both up?"

Richie rolled his eyes. "Pretty late. Colonel sure does hate the boat house cat, doesn't he?"

"I can understand why," Ember said loudly from behind them by the stairs.

They all turned and watched as the red head stepped aboard followed by Gypsy holding Bob who was still nursing his thimble of coffee.

"That stupid cat scratched his nose the first day here." The girl snarled. In the background they could hear Colonel sniffing around, and scratching at things trying to find the dark grey feline.

"Good morning girls." John waved them over.

"Morning warden." Gypsy stopped for a moment and took the Knarl named Todd out of the shoulder pack she had and set it down on the deck to look around. She perched herself on the boat's side and got Bob comfortable on her lap. Ember just stood there glaring like she was mad that the day had the audacity to be sunny.

"Already had breakfast then?" John asked as he took another section from another doughnut.

"Sort of." Gypsy sighed. "The kitchen just was too small to contain us along with Jazz's morning personality."

The older man nodded with understanding. He shifted around and yelled back at the cabin door. "Honey, you'd better get up here before your tea gets cold and the rest of the house shows up!"

Colonel barked in greeting as the two older twins came in and walked to the side of the boat.

"It's safe to come aboard, right Uncle John?" Melody shouted out.

"Come on up, fugitives from the Jazz Factory." He yelled back down.

Carefully Melody and Cadence joined them aboard and sat on the boat's railings as well.

"It's going to be a long day." Cadence sighed. "Dad is already on overdrive. Today just might be the day that your mother kills him Jackie."

"I'm sure she'll claim self defense." Jackie quipped. "The defense of the last shred of sanity she has left."

"Sanity?" Came Addy's voice as she entered the boat house. "That left long ago." She stopped to pet Colonel on the head. "Thanks for not barking at me boy. My head might have exploded at this point."

"Morning Addy." John pointed to a mug in her hand. "But that doesn't look like coffee."

"No, this is some of the health potion I cooked up a few days ago. When coffee didn't cut it, I heated this up and figured Dia could use some as well. It was a long night before we ever made it back to the villa. I swear I'm getting too old for this shit."

"I hope you put extra chocolate in it." Dia growled, coming up from below, her mood matching her daughters perfectly.

"Oh, extra on top of extra." Addy said as she handed Dia the mug as she reached topside.

John got up and walked over to his wife who was sipping from the mug looking much like death had taken her for a wild joyride. Jackie couldn't help but notice the sweater she wore was on backwards.

With gentle hands, her husband handed the mug briefly back to Addy and got his wife to put her arms in the sweater so he could turn it around the correct way, then handed her back the mug. She rubbed her head, the red hair feral in the light morning breeze that played around the inside of the boat house before escaping back out the missing wall.

"Remind me again why we are going on a hike and not just sleeping in till, oh, 5 pm?" Dia moaned as John helped her find her seat and placed food in front of her.

"Because," Harmony giggled from the steps. "The countryside is to die for!"

"Harm, I swear the countryside isn't what's about to die." Dia growled back, trying to lay her head down on the table, only to have John sit her back up and tap the mug for her to continue drinking. She gave him a sour look to which he chuckled.

Behind Harmony were Sky, Alex and Callen, still eating from their bowls of cereal.

"Have food will travel?" John asked them as he handed Dia the mug and rubbed her back.

"Billy and Jazz were going to attempt to clean the kitchen with the help of Serenity and Aurora." Sky shook his head. "I didn't think it was safe for food in there anymore."

"Especially after Jazz slammed four cups of coffee." Alex smiled and found herself a spot on a bench nearby, Callen sitting beside her his notebook in hand.

"I thought you and Aria were going to go to the dress shop in town?" Jackie bobbed her head at Skylar.

"We are. But Billy wanted Aria and Jubilee to help him figure out how to use the espresso machine in the kitchen first. We left them to it."

Addy snorted. "Good luck on that one." She looked around at the inquiring eyes. "I disabled it. Remember last time Billy had unlimited access to an espresso machine? He was wired for days."

"Next time Auntie Addy," said Aria from the doorway, "you better just hide the thing completely."

Jubilee followed her to the stairs. "Serenity pulled out little Juliette who saw what you did. She told Billy how to fix it." He finished.

Everyone onboard groaned.

Jackie noticed that Dia was looking a little better and eating the pieces of doughnut that John kept placing on her plate. The newcomers sat on the very end of the boat's railing, looking down at the water.

Addy stretched a little and moved closer to the table, checking to make sure the mug was empty as John poured himself more coffee and Dia some tea.

"Are we sure that taking the whole family, and by that I mean John and his playmates, to go see the Veela is a good idea mom?" Jackie asked as she looked up at the woman.

Addy's hair turned periwinkle as she sighed. "I don't know," the older woman glared down at John who was scratching his stubble, hiding a grin in his hand. "Are you three going to be on your best behavior today?"

Dia pushed herself up from the chair and proffered it to Addy and sat down on her husband's lap. She pulled his face close to hers as her other hand played in the back of his jet black hair that was ever so slightly becoming peppered with grey. "I'm sure if he's not a good boy, I can spank him."

Again Addy snorted. "Don't give him incentive to misbehave Dia."

Dia gave a kiss to her husband and then hid her face in his neck as he encircled her with his arms. Suddenly she tensed up, her head perking up a little, listening.

Everyone knew that Dia had the strange ability to hear things before anyone else did, so the bits of conversation fell away as each person's ears strained to hear what had stopped Dia.

Colonel started to bark furiously, but Jackie knew it was a bark of recognition. Trouble had found them.

Far up the gentle grass slope they could hear Jazz clapping and singing, with Billy, Serenity and Aurora joining in and getting closer.

"It's peanut butter jelly time; it's peanut butter jelly time!"

Melody's high and tightly pitched voice echoed around the inside of the boat house. "Theeeeerrrrreeeee heeeerrrrreeeee!"

When the small troupe arrived at the boat house, they swung into the next phase of the song. "Peanut butter and a baseball bat! Peanut butter and a baseball bat!" The song was punctuated by Colonel's excited barking.

"Owwww eeeeeee ooooooowwwww eeeeee!" The two men sang, grabbing the little girls and jumping wildly onboard.

Addy's voice shouted above the din. "What about the mess in the kitchen?"

"Tiki showed up and kicked us out." Jazz had a huge grin.

Jackie was fairly sure someone had called Tiki on the bracelet that they had given the elf years ago.

"Come on you guys!" Billy shouted, "Time to jump up and llllllleeeeeetttttttssssss get ready to !"

Jazz's wand was already out of his pocket and the speakers onboard started shouting the song 'Jump' at top volume. Billy and Jazz proceeded to jump all over the stern of the boat, off the railings, motor, and benches, grabbing random kids and trying to get them all to jump along with them.

Dia started kissing John again as Addy sighed and put her head down on the table. Harmony giggled as she danced with Sky. Callen sat scribbling furiously on his notepad. Richie chuckled as he tapped his fingers on the table to the rhythm.

Jackie tried her hardest not to roll her eyes.

Suddenly Jazz stopped the music and looked down. "Hey guys, um, should there be this much water coming aboard?"

Jackie lifted her feet as ocean water sloshed around on the deck, more of if pouring in from somewhere.

As Richie crawled atop the table, helping Jackie up as well, she heard him laugh.

"Watch out Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It's going to be an interesting year."

Jackie snorted back, watching the kids all jump for higher ground as the boat continued to sink. "Define interesting."

"I'm sorry Minister; we didn't _mean_ to blow up the school."


End file.
